+ Tananarive Due Sasha Malmquist
+ PERSONAL LIFE American journalist and novelist Born in 1966 Tallahassee, FL Most famous for The Between, The Living Blood, and My Soul to Keep
+ EARLY LIFE Born to John Dorsey Due, Jr. and Patricia Stephens Due Father was an attorney Mother was a civil rights and community activist Two younger sisters Aspired to be writer from young age In sixth grade, wrote own family history My Own Roots As teenager, won several awards for writing NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics Went on to graduate from Northwestern University Bachelor’s in journalism Received masters in English from University of Leeds
+ PERSONAL LIFE Currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia Husband is novelist and screenwriter, Steven Barnes Met at speculative fiction conference at Clark Atlanta University 1997 One son: Jason Still writing- most recent Blood Colony 2008
+ CAREER First job out of college at Miami Herald Wrote The Between while working at Herald Second novel, My Soul to Keep Enjoyed writing about the supernatural Wrote about Madame C.J. Walker Actual accounts of the millionaire chief of hair care products life Published in 2000 The Black Rose wrote The Living Blood established $10,000 scholarship at Texas A&M In honor of her parents
+ AWARDS Afro-American Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) Gold, silver, and bronze medals For essay and play writing, and oratory C Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award for Outstanding Achievement in a First Novel The Between 1995 NAACP King of Clubs of Greater Miami President’s Award 1998 American Book Award The Living Blood 2002
+ AWARDS (cont.) Nominated for NAACP Image Award The Black Rose Nominated for Best Novel by International Horror Guild The Good House Best Civil Rights Memoir by Black Issues Book Review 2003 Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights Co-authored with mother, Patricia New Voice in Literature Award 2004 Yari Yari Pamberi conference
+ MY SOUL TO KEEP Published in 1997 Essence Magazine bestseller Science Fiction, Horror novel Jessica must deal with learning husband is immortal
+ MY SOUL TO KEEP Jessica, religious feign, thinks her life is pretty good Husband, David, is “Mr. Perfect” Daughter named Kira Suddenly people close to her begin brutally dying Discovers David (Dawit) immortal and is over 400 years old Him and other Ethiopian scholars traded their souls for eternal life Kills any mortal who begins to discover who he is Decides to break vow and keep Jessica and Kira with him forever Jessica must deal with immortals who want her dead and David who wants her soul
+ MY SOUL TO KEEP THEMES “Love is Blind” Is love enough for Jessica to accept David for who he is Captivates the African-American middle class family values Jessica is loyal to her family “Loss” David deals with loss watching the loves of his life die over the span of his life Though he kills people for stumbling upon who he is, could he be killing them to make Jessica feel a tinge of what he has gone through?
+ MY SOUL TO KEEP THEMES (cont.) “Perfection Channeled through Immortality” David is portrayed as perfect Yet is this perfection perfected through years of living Would one trade his/her soul for perfection? “Protagonist David (Dawit’s) Love of Music” Jazz music is a scapegoat for David He has experienced all eras of black history through life, and music is the one thing to stay consistent Jazz was the music that symbolized a time when blacks were discovering freedom
+ DISCUSSION Was My Soul to Keep lacking a bit of richness in black history? Was the novel a little “premature”? Not as in-depth as previous writings we’ve read Why did Due choose to channel immortality as a theme? Did Due want the audience to perceive women as almost naïve?
+ WORKS CITED "About Tananarive Due." Tananarive Due. N.p., Web. 16 Nov Answers.com. Answers, n.d. Web. 16 Nov "My Soul to Keep (Due) -Author Biography." Lit Lovers. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov