All I Need to Get by

by Sophfronia Scott

Book Overview

Crita has come a long way from her small-town Ohio roots. A successful tax accountant living in Manhattan, she finally has the independent life that she dreamed of as a girl. However, with one fateful phone call, Crita's life is turned upside down. Suddenly back home, living under her parent's roof, Crita must confront two powerful men from her childhood--Link, her destructive brother with whom she shares a dark secret, and Tree, her first love...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312318561
• ISBN13: 9780312318567
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Debut

Sometimes the cover of a book can make or break its entrance into the literary world. But Ms. Scott's first novel certainly catches the eye with its cover design. The lady in red looks as if there are many mysteries hidden behind her eyes. Crita Carter is the consummate businesswoman living in Manhattan. Her independence is put at a standstill when she gets a phone call from her Mama saying that her daddy has taken ill. With Crita's encouragement, her mother can finally convince him to seek medical help. Unfortunately, instead of the recovery the family expected his situation worsens. After he develops pneumonia, Crita decides it time to go back home. Awaiting Crita back home are two of the men from her past, her brother Linc and her ex-boyfriend, Tree. How can she cope with all this-- her father's illness, and memories of betrayal. Linc, a drug abuser, has been estranged from the family for years. All I Need to Get By is full of real family situations, laughter, and stories we can all identify with as we try to "get by" in our day to day activities. Sophfronia Scott is truly a gifted writer The story is definitely a page-turner. Get the box of tissues handy; this was really a heartwarming story Readincolor Reviewers Rosie

Your family is your family, no matter what

I was ready to read yet another African-American novel with the same formula - I need a man, I have a gay best friend. Thankfully 'All I need to get by' followed it's own formula. Yes we have a little bit of New York in this novel but the majority of it takes place in Ohio. Many authors forget that there is a whole population that doesn't reside in New York and L.A. Sophfronia Scott makes the Carter family a family we want to know. The conversations between mother daughter, sister brother, sister sister, father daughter, father son make you understand this family in a way that makes put off reading that last page. The flashbacks were well placed throughout the book. I absolutely loved this book and the way the author gave the story to us straight....no fluff here.MwabiMahogany Book ClubLexington, KY

A wonderful book made better by meeting the author

A great read. The author joined our book club to discuss the book and brought even further insight into her inspirations and how they influence her writing. She is an extraordinary woman whose warmth comes through in her writing and her storytelling. We had lively discussion concerning the characters she created and how they came into being as well as the themes of family throughout the novel.If you can, invite Sophronia to your book club and share this book with its creator.

Keeper of the House

ALL I NEED TO GET BY by Sophfronia Scott is a very emotional look into the lives of family members affected by a sibling's drug abuse. Crystal "Crita" Carter is the second oldest child of four who currently lives in Harlem as a successful owner and operator of an accounting business. When called home to deal with her father's illness she is confronted with her past or with what she thought was her past. Lincoln Carter is the eldest child and only son of the Carter family; a former corporate employee, former high school and college track star and all-around charmer, his life has been ravaged by the usage of drugs. Finally there is Demetrius "Tree" Templeton, a schoolteacher and Crita's former lover. These two men hold the key to Crita's heart and her psych and returning home only ignites her passion and fury of the past from which she ran. For Crita and Linc family loyalty always came first but at a cost; a cost that Crita could not comprehend but Tree could see coming. Set in the small town of Lorain, Ohio, ALL I NEED TO GET BY also delves into the musings and anger of other important characters and their behaviors of the past and present when presented with Linc's illness. How each person copes is drastically different. Ella, the third oldest living in Virginia, escaped as a child by making herself pretty and staying away from the home as much as possible by dating a slew of suitors. Hazel, the youngest and current college student, sets a dangerous plan in motion so the family can rid themselves of Linc once and for all. As a child she chose to ignore Linc as if he did not exist. Chandra, Linc's wife and their daughter Savannah, has a stake in Linc's life and we are treated to those effects. Chandra has a past with the drug abuse issue, a past which she refuses to repeat. The story weaves back and forth between the past and present and also utilizes dream sequences that make for a very complete story filled with pain and anguish but also hope and determination among the characters. The delivery is superb with the use of metaphors and imagery that could rival the best. The demonstrative impact that a loved one's drug usage has on his significant others is awesome making Sophfronia Scott a literary force to be seriously reckoned with. ALL I NEED TO GET BY is an excellent debut novel by an excellent storyteller. Reviewed by Dawn R. Reevesof The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

A fresh voice -- on an under-treated topic

How much do we owe our families -- and how much do we owe ourselves? These are the central questions at the core of the beautifully written All I Need To Get By. And after reading the book, it truly is striking to realize just how few contemporary novels recognize that most of us do feel that our families are more than merely a sum of its parts. These intangible links, so hard to break, form our characters and mould the way we interact with the world.To discuss the premise is to be drawn into revealing the plot, so let me keep it simple: this is a book that will stay with you long after you close the book. The characters feel so real, it is as though they are friends of friends. Their struggles are not easily-solved, movie-of-the-week difficulties, but honest-to-goodness real-world Gordian knots: drug use, co-dependency, mortality, learned helplessness, deep-down rage, and fear. And yet, out of this morass of human struggle, Crita's dogged determination to make her little corner of the world better transforms this novel ultimately into an uplifting story.In short, this is a novel well worth reading, on a topic that has long deserved serious consideration. Sophfronia Scott is an author well worth watching in the future.