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POSSUM Got Big Ears:  Anatomy of a Child's Journey to Womanhood

About the Book

Possum Got Big Ears is a collection of short stories about a little African-American girl growing up during the 1950s and ‘60s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the story about a time when children “were seen not heard;” when children said “yes ma’am, and no ma’am” to all adults; when rebellion and disrespect were not tolerated. It is about a time when little children sat at special tables for dinner, away from the adults; and obedience and respect were demanded and received.

Possum refers to a game played by the adults in my family who were determined to keep children innocent, out of their business, and away from their secrets. In order to do this, they spelled their conversations, letter by letter, a non-stop string of words strung together into a conversation. It infuriated me, because I didn’t know how to spell. However, I would learn. It was my incentive to learn to spell, and learn I did, in spite of their efforts. Possum is about the good, the bad, the ugly, the funny and my quest to grow up. This is the story of a little girl’s tears, anger, repentance and victory.