Mildred Peacock is the tough, funny, feisty heroine of Mama, a survivor who'll do anything to keep her family together. In Mildred's world, men come and go as quickly as her paychecks, but her five children are her dream, her hope, and her future. Not since Alice Walker's The Color Purple has a black woman's story been portrayed with such rich power, honesty, and love.
"Mama is extremely funny throughout and at the same time honest about what a good woman will do to push her children higher than she can hope to go...touching and steadfastly unsentimental."--Detroit Free Press
"Mama distinguishes itself by its exuberant sensibility...a fine novel."--The New York Times Book Review
"Mama has Zora Neale Hurston's vernacular humor and John Irving's absurdity. McMillan is a master of black humor in both senses of the phrase."--The Village Voice