What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day
Encyclopedia
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day is a novel by Pearl Cleage
, and was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club
selection in September 1998. The book focuses on a black woman who has moved back to her Michigan hometown following a positive diagnosis for HIV. The novel was Cleage's first.
Pearl Cleage
Pearl Cleage is an African-American author whose work, both fiction and non-fiction, has been widely recognized. Her novel, What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day was a 1998 Oprah’s Book Club selection. Cleage is known for her feminist views, particularly regarding her identity as an...
, and was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new novel for viewers to read and discuss each month. The Club ended its 15-year run, along with...
selection in September 1998. The book focuses on a black woman who has moved back to her Michigan hometown following a positive diagnosis for HIV. The novel was Cleage's first.
Characters
- Ava Johnson: the protagonist. She moved back to live with her sister in Idlewild, MichiganIdlewild, MichiganIdlewild is a vacation and retirement community in Yates Township located in a small rural northwestern part of the U.S. state of Michigan near the southeastern border of Lake County...
after she was diagnosed with HIV. She was a successful hairdresser in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
before her patrons learned she had HIV. - Joyce Mitchell: Ava's older sister. She was married to Mitch before he died in a freak accident. She runs The Sewing Circus, a church group focused on providing sexual education to and empowering young mothers.
- Mitch Mitchell: Joyce's husband before he died in a freak accident.
- Imani: a crack baby Joyce and Ava take custody of.