Walking Among The Kudzu is an imaginative and masterful storyteller who enjoys the creative process so much that she spends eight to ten hours a day perfecting her skills. She lives between the pages, paragraphs, and words of her stories.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia in a large close knit family, she listened as her elders weaved words into imaginative and colorful stories. She now resides in Philadelphia, PA.
Review by S. Lawrence Wright Review Source
Philadelphia Community College, English Department
By way of prose that is lyrical and precise, the author breathes life into an array of characters who are colorful, loveable, and at times downright despicable, but never uninteresting. You will love Mom Moses, who is the matriarch. She is well geared with a panoply of weapons to defend and protect those she loves. Mr. Marshall, "Bubba," is a talented and respected lawyer whose white skin at times does not adequately restrain his black inner soul. Then, there's Andre. His dubious sexual identity is confusing to everyone but himself. He knows he's a lady. His glib retorts and mannerisms are great comical reliefs at just the right time.
"Walking Among The Kudzu" is solidly packed with anguish, pathos, unrequited love, humor, and the supernatural. What about the kudzu vine? Early on, Shelby is told, "They have a mind of their own. They grow wild… just like us." Walking Among The Kudzu" is no leisurely stroll, it's a multi-tiered romp!
Reviewed by Emanuel Carpenter
In H. Victoria Hargro Atkerson's latest book, "Walking Among the Kudzu," readers are taken on the journey of the life of Shelby Reed. Her mother, Flo is arguably the meanest woman on earth. So she must learn to deal with the situation of having an unloving mother, a deceased father, and a measly, two bedroom apartment in Chicago in the pre-Civil Rights era that mainly serves as a place for Flo to entertain her lowlife friends. Readers soon learn that Flo never even wanted children. Instead, she only wanted a child to please her husband, Shelby's father. After his untimely death, she reveals her deep-seated hatred of her daughter through words and action. But the eager-to-please Shelby still finds a way to try to win her mother's love.
It's not until Shelby becomes a teenager that she gets a reprieve from Mommy Dearest when her father's sister sends for her to spend a summer in Atlanta with her and her family. But once Shelby discovers that Aunt Helen, her fat husband "The Reverend Theodore Jones," and her cousin Peggy are religious fanatics, living with her mother in Chicago doesn't seem quite as bad. When the family discovers that Shelby is unsaved, they put the pressure on to join their church and become like them. When Shelby gets involved with the good-looking, smooth-talking boy from church named Jonathan, she makes some very adult decisions that ultimately change the course of her life. Just like the kudzu vines that grow wild in Georgia, so does our protagonist. Before it is all over, lies are discovered, shocking surprises are revealed, and many tears are shed before it can all be made right.
Though her own flesh and blood disappoint her, she discovers the kindness strangers in a foster home headed by a woman known as Mama Moses. At the home, Shelby is given the chance to turn her life around. But to do so will mean she will need to let go of old habits, learn new skills, and learn what it means to have a family. The question is: will the teenager be able to make the changes that can change her life forever? Or will the circumstances of her past, the tragedy of her upbringing, and the decisions of her past life cause her to take a turn for the worse?
"Walking Among the Kudzu" is a page turner that will remind you of books such as "The Darkest Child," "Push," and even "The Color Purple." Readers who know a thing or two about the Civil Rights Era will enjoy this nostalgic tale. And those who enjoy a good story will have something to smile about as well. The characters from all walks of life feel like people you may know. Atkerson's natural writing skills will have you wondering how much of this novel comes from actual events. Though the ending is a bit mushy and predictable, and you might wish for more dialogue versus the first-person narration, it is still a very enjoyable story of hope, love, and redemption. You should definitely pick this one up.
Reviewed by Tamika Whitehouse
Walking Among The Kudzu describes the striking parallelism between life and the growth of these vines based on the author’s insights from experiences. Both twist and twine in all directions—people make mistakes, celebrate, achieve, and do many things sometimes regretful. However, life in its own resilient way continues.
Like the awe-inspiring kudzu, we must be strong when facing difficulties or when encumbered by circumstances in our lives, which seem insurmountable, but we must remember the power within us, the power of the human spirit as we define who we are and hold onto God for the rest.— H. Victoria Hargro Atkerson
H. Victoria Hargro Atkerson writes inspiring romantic stories based on historical events. Her love of history and her dedication to her craft are apparent in the profundity of each character that she writes about in her stories. Philadelphia is her home, which she shares with her husband, but her southern upbringing resonates in all her writings and in her storytelling abilities. When she is not writing, she enjoys baking, needlecrafts, and fishing with her family on the Jersey shore.
Interview Dialogue with Victoria:
“Walking Among The Kudzu” is your third novel, what is it about?
This story chronicles the life of a Chicago youth who is mentally abused by her disenchanted mother. Their relationship based on the child’s ability to be invisible in her mother’s house. She has the misfortune of having to cope with a mother who did not want the responsibility of the company of children in her life. At the first opportunity, the main character, Shelby Reed is farmed-out to neighbors and friends so that her mother can have company. This child knows that she is unwanted and disliked, but she learned how to live in a hostile environment by fading into the woodwork so that her mother does not know she exists. When her mother decides to rid herself of her mothering responsibilities, she sends Shelby to an unknown aunt in Atlanta that the child never knew she had. From there, Shelby discovers things about her family that disturbs her and isolates her even more than she was in her mother’s home. Needing acceptance and love,
her life becomes complicated when she is rejected by her family in Atlanta, her mother, and the one person whom she finds to love. In the backdrop of this dramatic story, the reader revisits the civil right era of the 1950’ and 60’s, where values, beliefs, and problems unfold in the lives of colorful and brilliant characters that reflect the daily life of living in a separate but unequal society.
What was your purpose in writing “Walking Among The Kudzu?”
The main theme of the book is that life goes on no matter what and people have to be resilient in order to be successful. It does not matter what mistakes you make, but it does matter how you react to your mistakes. Do you continue? Do you change your behavior? You must. We must always adapt to changes because that is the most constant element of our lives. We must set new goals and be determined to complete them…. never giving up on life and especially never giving up on ourselves. I wanted to convey that message in “Walking Among The Kudzu.”
The story has some interesting details about the civil rights era, are any on the incidents in the book true?
All of my writings reflect real life experiences, but that have been fictionalized to create a good story. I find that all good writing is based on the daily interactions and reactions to our environment. How else can the reader relate to it? Even writers of science fiction and horror stories based their writing on human experiences that they take to the next level. The best writing starts out with a simple question, “What if?”
Where did you learn to write?
At my computer, but I learned to tell a good story as a child growing up in Atlanta. Much of my childhood was spent listening to stories from elders, siblings, and friends. Everyone told stories. Sitting around the dinner table, at family reunions, sitting on the front porch, or hanging out on the front steps at night… people always told stories. It just so happened that most of the stories they told were true, taken from real life. My biggest challenge was to learn how to put my stories down on paper or on the computer… it was truly a learning experience. It took time and a great deal of hard work to complete my first three novels and to continue working on the ones that will follow. One day, I hope to perfect the art. I compare the process of writing a story with a journey that starts out at the beginning and goes until you write your way to the end. I hope that when I get to the end of my writing career that I will have perfected the art of
writing so that others will appreciate it and enjoy my stories.
“Walking Among the Kudzu is your third book, what were the first two?”
The first two novels that I published were, “Stones Along The Path, Part I & Part II,” a two-part intimate family memoir, which starts in Kenya and migrates to Philadelphia. The two books tell the story of a wildly romantic relationship that crosses two cultures and two continents. The main characters, Jessica & Akinyele are insanely in love, but they have adjustments because of their cultural and differences. What I love about this story is that the reader gets to evaluate their relationship and their suitability for each other. It amazes me when readers tell me that they are angry with Jessica or disgusted with Akinyele. That means they became involved with the storyline. One of my favorite book clubs nicknamed it as the “Black Cinderella Story,” and it is. Readers will love it, but be ready for a real roller coaster ride.
Where can readers get copies of “Walking Among The Kudzu” and “Stones Along The Path, Part I & II?”
Anyone who wishes to purchase one of my books can go to one of my Websites, www.walkingamongthekudzu.com, www.stonesalongthepath.com, www.bookclubsatsea.com. Or they can order it on www.amazon.com, or they can order it from Barnes & Noble, Borders, or any other book store.
What is Book Clubs At Sea?
Book Clubs At Sea is a special program that I created to help black authors, like myself, who need to get their work out to the public and on an international stage. It’s an opportunity for authors to bring their fans on board cruise ships around the world to experience the ultimate book club. While cruising to fabulous destinations, they will have an opportunity to sell their books to all the passengers and crew around the world. We also encourage Book Clubs members who want to vacation with authors to join us and enjoy all the special activities we provide onboard. Anyone who wishes to join one of our cruises can send their request to bookclubsatsea@....
Learn more about Victoria at:
www.victoriaatkersonbooks.blogspot.com
