Mama Black Widow

By: Iceberg Slim

Narrated by: Bobby Spears

Mama Black Widow tells the tragic story of Otis Tilson, a stunning black drag queen trapped in a cruel queer ghetto underworld. In hopes of escaping the racial bigotry andeconomic injustice of the South, Otis' family journeys north from their plantation to an urban promised land. Once in Chicago, Otis and his siblings become prisoners to a wasteland of violence, crime, prostitution, and rape. This is the gut-wrenching tale of the destruction of a family and the truest portrayal of homosexuality in the ghetto ever told.

©2013 the Robert Beck Estate (P)2014 Blackstone Publishing, and Urban Audiobooks

A slice of humanity

This is a well-crafted telling of the life of a person with the societal odds stacked all the way against them. It’s compelling and real and I highly recommend it.

Still a classic!

No matter how many times I read this book, it's so great! Being a 70s baby, these are books I've grown up to. I shared these stories with my daughter who is 24, she enjoys them as well! How unfortunate we don't have this type of writers anymore!

fucked up

I never thought I would read a book disgusting second question sexuality as much as this one has god this was riveting

It was great

Yes I found this book to be so relevant still. . Sad how much things have not changed.

Imprinted Images In My Mind Forever..

Mama Black Widow is a haunting and gut-wrenching story of a black transvestite who's been through hell, hell's half acre, back to hell, and back to earth. There is no other way to describe this beautiful narrative; beautiful because of the raw truth to it- but terribly ugly when dealing with all of the hate and confusion in the story.

When we think of transgender people, people like Caitlyn Jenner come to mind- people who make bold choices with their lifestyles and have glitz, glamour, and popularity. Mama Black Widow shatters that glamorous image and shows the world what things were really like for poor, transgender and gay folks in the past few decades.

The journey that one takes with this book's narrative is daunting and incredible. The narration is perfect, the story line made my stomach lurch, my skin crawl, and my eyes water all at the same time. This book is real, gutsy, and completely worth reading or listening to more than once. I appreciate Iceberg Slim and I am honoured to have heard this profound story of struggle and bravery.

-Wendi