I am honoured to be part of the WOW! Women of Writing Blog Tour for Lisa Braxton’s memoir Dancing Between the Raindrops.
(Please note: I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.)
My Review:
The subtitle of Lisa Braxton’s memoir accurately describes the purpose of her book – ” A Daughter’s reflection on love and loss.” She shares with us in much detail, memories of the past. She lost both parents within two years of each other – her mother in 2020 and her father in 2022.
I would also add to this – she gives us a very honest account of the racism she and her family experienced, from her parents in the Jim Crow era to hers in school and in later years. Chapter 3: “Welcome to the Neighborhood” was very poignant. She describes what her parents wanted for their daughters: “They didn’t want us to be held back by people who used race as a means of control and disrespect.”
The format of Ms. Braxton’s memoir is fascinating. Most chapters were essays, filled with memories from different times in her family’s life, often moving from present to past and back to present.
But there were other chapters that presented a different way to share memories (and provided a unique way to highlight hard truths):
- poems she has written (my 2 favourites: Chap.17 “Wishbone” and Chap. 29″A Better Life”)
- a playlist – with memories for each song (as she says , memories are linked to songs)
- a press release
- news scripts
- even an ad – for a Comforter in Chief.
We learn how her mother championed her, even leaving a letter for her to show how much she was loved.
I highly recommend Lisa Braxton’s memoir, Dancing Between the Raindrops. I thoroughly enjoyed her writing and her history. This is a loving tribute to her parents and offers reflections on grief, on loss, on love.
Book Summary
Dancing Between the Raindrops: A Daughter’s Reflections on Love and Loss, is a powerful meditation on grief, a deeply personal mosaic of a daughter’s remembrances of beautiful, challenging and heartbreaking moments of life with her family. It speaks to anyone who has lost a loved one and is trying to navigate the world without them while coming to terms with complicated emotions.
Lisa Braxton’s parents died within two years of each other—her mother from ovarian cancer, her father from prostate cancer. While caring for her mother she was stunned to find out that she, herself, had a life-threatening illness—breast cancer.
In this intimate, lyrical memoir-in-essays, Lisa Braxton takes us to the core of her loss and extends a lifeline of comfort to anyone who needs to be reminded that in their grief they are not alone.
Publisher: Sea Crow Press
Print length: 158 pages
Purchase a copy of Dancing Between the Raindrops on
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Between-Raindrops-Daughters-Reflections/dp/1961864088/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dancing-between-the-raindrops-lisa-braxton/1144935014?ean=9781961864085
You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list:
About the Author
Lisa Braxton is the author of the novel, The Talking Drum, winner of a 2021 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards Gold Medal, overall winner of Shelf Unbound book review magazine’s 2020 Independently Published Book Award, and winner of a 2020 Outstanding Literary Award from the National Association of Black Journalists and a Finalist for the International Book Awards. She is also an Emmy-nominated former television journalist, an essayist, and short story writer.
She is on the executive board of the Writers Room of Boston and a writing instructor at Grub Street Boston, and currently serves as President of the Greater Boston Section of the National Council of Negro Women and is a member of the Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
You can follow the author at:
Website: https://lisabraxton.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.a.braxton/
Twitter: @Lisaannbraxton OR @LisaReidbraxton
Instagram: @lisabraxton6186
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabraxton/
Blog Tour Calendar
April 29th @ The Muffin
Join us at WOW as we celebrate the launch of Lisa Braxton’s memoir Dancing Between the Raindrops. Read an interview with the author and enter for a chance to win a copy of the book.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
May 1st @ Beverley Baird
Lisa Braxton, author of the memoir Dancing Between the Raindrops, shares the experience of being an adult orphan.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com
May 3rd @ A Storybook World
Start the month with a touching memoir. Read more about Lisa Braxton’s Dancing Between the Raindrops.
https://www.astorybookworld.com
May 3rd @ Beverley Baird
Bev reviews Dancing Between the Raindrops, a memoir by Lisa Braxton.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com
May 5th @ Choices
How important is it to be part of a writing group? Dancing Between the Raindrops author Lisa Braxton gives her opinion on writing groups.
May 6th @ Anthony Avina
Stop by for a surprise guest post with Lisa Braxton, author of the memoir Dancing Between the Raindrops.
http://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com
May 8th @ The Shaggy Shepherd
How to answer the question “Do You Have Kids?” with guest post Lisa Braxton, author of the memoir Dancing Between the Raindrops.
May 9th @ Boys’ Mom Reads!
Find out how a Boys’ Mom feels about the memoir Dancing Between the Raindrops with today’s review.
https://karensiddall.wordpress.com
May 13th @ Word Magic
Stop by for a guest post about growing up in the family business by Lisa Braxton, author of the memoir Dancing Between the Raindrops.
https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com
May 14th @ What Is That Book About
Looking for a new book for your TBR pile? Stop by for a spotlight on Lisa Braxton’s memoir Dancing Between the Raindrops.
May 15th @ From the TBR Pile
Dancing Between the Raindrops author Lisa Braxton will be visiting with a guest post today.
https://fromthetbrpile.blogspot.com
May 16th @ Fancy That!
Lisa Braxton, author of Dancing Between the Raindrops, is at Fancy That today writing about grieving the death of elderly parents.
May 23rd at Words by Webb
Read a review of Lisa Braxton’s Dancing Between the Raindrops today.
https://www.jodiwebbwriter.com/blog
May 24th @ World of My Imagination
Enjoy Nicole’s review of Dancing Between the Raindrops, a memoir by Lisa Braxton.https://worldofmyimagination.com
Beverley A Baird 
Sounds like a wonderful read!
It was.