Fifth Born

by Zelda Lockhart

Book Overview

When Odessa Blackburn is three years old her beloved grandmother dies, and so begins her story, set in St. Louis, Missouri, and rural Mississippi. As the fth born of eight children, Odessa loses her innocence at rst when her drunken father sexually abuses her, and then again when she alone witnesses her father taking the life of his own brother.
Fifth Born is Zelda Lockhart's debut novel, lyrically written and powerful in its exploration...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743412664
• ISBN13: 9780743412667
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.7" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Mad, Disappointed and confused

I had great hopes for this author and thought It would be one of the best novels out there, but I was proven wrong. Even though it is so sad how dysfunction this family is, so much of it is so out of context and over the top. I hate the way the author chose the description of the rape of Odessa, the death of her uncle and the introduction of her aunt Ella Mae. It was so sad to read about and try to believe what really happened to Ella Mae and how this family could sweep all of this under the rug and continue to live life from day to day. The ending was so stupid and confusing.

Very Compelling!

I loved loved loved this book and the descriptive blows it takes to my emotional complex with the beautiful way the author interlaces the words around each other to make a masterpiece. LOVED IT. This and Toni Morrison's bluest eye are neck and neck 😍

fifith born

fifth born is a poigniantly told tale of a young girl who is trapped in a woefully dysfunctional family. the author zelda lockhardt,brings to light the unfortunate situation of odessa, a girl who hails from a large southern family that migrates south in search of a better life. in the story odessa's family is no stranger to dark secrets, as she at an early age learns the harsh realities of life. being shunned by an inefectual mother along with her older siblings and being brutaly raped by an abusive and alcoholic father, odessa turns retreats deep within her self to escape the inferno she's in. constantly she remebers the trips to mississippi, there she shared fond memories with her grandmother. but soon these rare moments end with her sudden suicide. the world turns slowly for this girl as she unwittingly stumbles across even more secrets as she witnesses her uncle being murdered by her father and even enduring a second molestation. all through the book it is would seem hopeless for odessa until the family commutes back to mississppi for the summer. no longer the fifth born, odessa is largely ignored and feeling the weight of all this she wanders into the company of a long shunned relaitve. there she learns the beginning of her family's secrets, and even some darker ones of her beloved grandmother.

Fifth Born

This book was very moving. The title; very fitting you will have to read the book to get the just of the title. A job will done and very touching. This author is a great story teller.

No child should go through this.

`Fifth Born' held my attention from cover to cover! This story drew out a series of emotions; it evoked compassion for this child, and brought forth an inevitable---necessary indignation for her plight that was as intimate as if it were your very own. I felt the pain she suffered at the hands of her family. Odessa Blackburn is a brown-skinned angel who's struggling to find her way after the death of her grandma. No one chooses her family, but Odessa's takes the cake. Her "Deddy" is a strong-willed drunk who can hardly stand the sight of her and subjects her to abuses he can't even remember. Her Mama is too busy birthing babies and appeasing Deddy to worry about what happens to her fifth born. An older sister, Towanda, and a cousin, Gretal, are the only ones who offer Odessa comfort through her suffering. But, soon, as she matures, she'll discover a new identity and a new love that she'd never known existed. Odessa exemplifies the strength of the human spirit and a drive to survive even in the midst of what seems to be insuperable odds and circumstance. Lockhart's writing style reminds me of Alice Walker's - it is intense and pointed, but she has a unique voice all her own. She didn't attempt to tell a pretty, fairy tale story and some of the subject matter might be disturbing to some readers. But, truth is truth and everyone needs a dose of reality and all the ugly things in society that we try to hide from. This is a great novel that comes highly recommend.

Linda Jo Smith, Book Review Editor, Sisters~Nineties Literary Group

If you ever felt like you are treated "like a stepchild," this book will have you counting your blessings. Fifth Born is a touching story that strikes home to St. Louisans as it discloses the lives of a dysfunctional family living in the West End of St. Louis. Odessa, the novel's protagonist, is the "middle child." She's weepy, timid and delicate. She sucks her thumb well into middle school. She's ugly, black and she's country. Her family's mode of communication consists of name-calling, arguing and cursing. Neglect can not be alleged as the children are always neat, clean and fed; but neglect is the crime as obvious signs of sexual abuse is ignored and denied, angry tirades fueled by alcoholism are a regular occurence and an ugly family secret that fosters resentment toward the "Fifth Born." Odessa has no idea what it's like to have a loving family, but she does know that she is not loved. Her brothers and sisters seem to be able to cope with the hopelessness by playing cruel jokes, snitching, stealing and lying on each other in the name of familial affection. The older sisters and brothers suffered sexual abuse from "Deddy" in their younger years, but they learned to "stay out of his way" by getting involved with activities after school. Every summer the family heads "down south" to Mississippi, as so many families did in by St. Louis neighborhood. Odessa longs for her deceased grandmother as they occupy her home year after year in the sweltering summer heat of Mississippi. After witnessing her uncle's murder and being raped a second time, Odessa begins to empower herself in her middle school years as she finds hiding and sheer disobedience as her only means of defense. This leads us to the beauty of irony as Odessa discovers her past and her destiny. I loved the vernacular Ms. Lockhart used in this book; such as daddy being pronounced as "deddy," which is the way I pronounced it all my live here in the Gateway city. Fifth Born, Zelda Lockhart's debut novel, was on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Her writing career began with poetry. Fifth Born is an example of irony at its best, giving way to justice and hope for a precious little girl that you will grow to cherish.

PAINFUL, POIGNANT, AND POWERFUL

I knew I was in for an intense journey by the book cover and the book blurb, but I had no idea how much this story would take me up and refuse to let me go. It has been a while since I experienced such agony for a character while reading a book. The last time I can recall was when I was reading "Push" by Sapphire. Then, as now, I wanted life to get better for the main character with every paragraph I read. I wanted all the 'bad' people to go away and for the love she so deserved, to arrive. But "Fifth Born" is no fairytale. It's the story of a little black girl name Odessa and the horrors of her family's past. A past that makes her an innocent victim, but too, a past that will ultimately set her free.Ms. Lockhart had written a stunning debut. I finished the book an hour ago and I am still breathless by it. A thousand times I wanted to reach into the pages and rescue Odessa. I wanted to do away with her 'deddy' and shake up her mother. I wanted to bring back her dead grandmother, the only person whom she felt really loved her. This is what a great book does--it makes you reaction strongly and intensely. Ms. Lockhart had crafted an intimate, heartbreaking story, one that I will not soon forget.Margaret Johnson-HodgeAuthor of "True Lies"