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The Yellow House by Sarah Broom Book Review

Summary

Ivory Mae, Broom's mother, was only 19 when she lost her husband. She buys a shotgun house in

the rapidly developing East New Orleans neighbourhood. These dwellings are very long and skinny. The

construction is based on a cypress swamp. This causes the house to begin sinking rapidly. In 1965,

Hurricane Betsy, a Persistent winds storm, tore into the eastern part of New Orleans and destroyed levees,

causing damage to the mansion (Broom,2019). When it comes to wearing, that hurricane ranks as the

most expensive in Atlantic history.

Meanwhile, Ivory Mae is set on making this house a warm and welcoming haven for her children

and grandchildren. She and her husband, Simon Broom, raised twelve kids. Sarah Broom is the youngest

of her family members, having been born in 1979. As a child, Sarah knows her home simply as "the

Yellow House" because of its bright yellow siding. The African-American neighbourhood of Broom is

isolated from the rest of the city by the Industrial Canal. Simon leaves when Broom is very young,

Broom begins by discussing her ancestry in Movement 1. Movement 2 is where Broom talks

about her upbringing. She is aimless and lonely, and the status of the house makes her feel ashamed.

Broom describes fear and uncertainty that permeated her home throughout the disaster. Right now,

Broom may be found in Harlem (Broom,2019). Since the Yellow House has sustained damage, the city

has declared it unfit for human habitation. In the fourth section, Broom finally confronts her family's past

and writes the novel that will be The Yellow House.

Chatters analysis of the family issues

Yellow House

To the Brooms, their house is much more than a setting; it plays an integral role in their everyday

lives and is frequently referenced by name. Considering that Broom writes extensively about generations
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and how individuals carry on traditions, these tiers are crucial. Time and history have left their marks on

the home, which has seen many families come and go. 

Sarah M. Broom

The memoir was written and narrated by Broom. She's one of eleven siblings, and she's the

youngest. To help Broom blend in with her peers, her mother changes her name from the African-

American Monique to the "whiter" Sarah (Broom,2019). As a child, Broom lives in New Orleans East, a

poor neighbourhood where the houses are sinking into the ground due to the constant ground movement.

She becomes an energetic historian who can't get enough of digging into her ancestry. Area gets

overlooked by tourists who come for Mardi Gras and jazz to see the economic inequality and neglect that

has engulfed the city.

Lolo Amelia

Broom's grandmother is named Amelia; Broom calls her "Lolo," a nickname she gave herself

when she was a teenager. Amelia's strong will stems from her upbringing on the plantation, which saw a

significant slave revolt in 1811 (Broom,2019). She spends her formative years with her older Jehovah's

Witness sister Edna.

Ivory Mae

Sarah Broom's mom is named Ivory. Broom rarely chooses to repeat her mother's past caricatures,

making Ivory's voice the second most dominant in the memoir through the use of actual quotes. Proud to

redo her kitchen from scratch and sewed her shower curtain and her kids' clothes. Buying a home has

been an aspiration of hers for quite some time (Broom,2019). As a result of Hurricane Katrina, she

destroyed practically everything she possessed and had to wait years for the organization claiming to aid

her, Road Home, to complete her case and provide her with a merger stipend.

Edward Webb
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Webb is portrayed as the school prankster who gets Ivory pregnant and marries her while they are

both still in school (Broom,2019). While in Texas for military training, he is hit and killed by a car; his

death is investigated as possible racial profiling.

Analysis of the decision-making process and resolution planning

Virtual book club meetings will be held on August 12th and 15th at Bexley Public Library (BPL)

to discuss. Book-related questions excerpts are included in this guide. We're pleased to announce that

Gramercy Books will sell physical copies of The Yellow House through our bookstore partnership.

Consider your end goal(s) first as you weigh the many possibilities. As a student, your decisions should

be guided by your long-term objectives (Broom,2019).

Implementing these sorts of decisions will get more straightforward as you work through the five

decision-making processes. The process of decision-making will become less daunting and more

methodical. First, determine what you hope to achieve by answering this inquiry. Second, you should

collect facts and statistics on the potential answers to the question. Third, write out the benefits and

drawbacks of all of the possibilities.

The fourth step is settling on a specific plan for reaching your objectives. If you're having trouble

deciding on a path, commit to the option that seems most consistent with how you want to move forward.

Think about how this dedication has changed your life and how far you are from your objectives. The

temptation to skip this final stage is understandable, but every student must complete the evaluation.

Analysis of Ivory Mae's Critics

The phrase "You know this place not all that comfy for other people" is spoken by Ivory Mae

throughout The Yellow House. This is something that everyone keeps telling me. She also describes the

way she and her sister avoid making friends due to the pressure of having to welcome them to their

crumbling childhood home, nevertheless, it suggests otherwise (Broom,2019). Our mother had us dressed

in tailor-made clothing, but the house was an awkward fit. She's excellent at flaunting her admirable

qualities and making herself look pretty to her pals.


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References

Broom, S. M. (2019). The Yellow House: A Memoir (2019 National Book Award Winner). Grove Press.

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