[In the following review, Thomas offers a positive assessment of The Men of Brewster Place.]

Gloria Naylor's The Men of Brewster Place is a profound work that explores the other side of the gender issue. It is a continuation of Naylor's The Women of Brewster Place and depicts the men who played only minor roles in that book.

The men of Brewster Place are presented as rational Black men who are able to think for themselves and who realize that they have problems they must solve. Naylor's positive depiction shows them as men struggling to correct their faults, or as individuals trying to make sense of their lives.

The book is divided into 10 chapters that start with “Dusk” and end with “Dawn.” It discusses the lives of seven characters known as the sons of Brewster Place—Ben, Brother Jerome, Basil, Eugene, Moreland T. Woods, C. C. Baker, and Abshu.

Naylor's methodology is quite clever. Although Ben died in The Women of Brewster Place, the “Author's Notes” in this sequel states that Naylor “takes her poetic license to resurrect [Ben's] spirit and voice to narrate major portions of [the] novel.” Ben tells the story of how he ended up in the place called Brewster. It is the story of a caring father and a loving husband who had a wonderful daughter but was plagued with a domineering wife. It is the story of a man who is unable to cope and becomes a drunkard.

All of these men have unique situations that tie them to Brewster Place. The gifted piano player, Brother Jerome, captures the plight of all Black men of Brewster Place through his playing of the blues. Although he is labeled a “retarded child,” he is the silent, brilliant force that is able to put things together through his music.

Basil tries to recapture all that he has missed in life by attempting to be a father to two boys whom he adopts. However, he is left in a state of confusion when things do not turn out the way that he had wished.

Eugene is upset and confused and has forsaken his family because he has explored another side of himself that he still does not understand.

The minister, Moreland T. Woods, succeeds at getting his new church and a political office. But eventually, he is viewed as a “sell-out.”

Money, power, and respect are three ingredients that C. C. Baker's father lacks. So C. C. seeks them in the streets.

Cliff Jackson, who changed his name to Abshu, is on a mission to either assassinate Pastor Woods or to see that he loses his political office.

Finally, the barbershop is the central metaphor that serves as a house of refuge, a place where debate and understanding take place. The barbershop is the place where all of the Black men come to be themselves and to discuss their lives and society. It is at the barbershop that they sing “the [B]lack man's blues.” They discuss their present conditions, vent their frustrations, and dream about more promising futures.

The barbershop is also the place where the character Greasy ends his life. Greasy's character serves as an illustration that brotherhood represents more than the spurious masks Black men wear or the phony words that they say to each other. Unlike the other men, Greasy openly admits to his faults: “I'm a man. And I'm trying.”

It is through Greasy's death that the Black men notice that they are all the same, that their problems are also the same ones that Greasy once fought on a daily basis. They are all men who are hurting, struggling, coping, and trying to make the best out of what is left of their lives. Naylor uses these characters as an attempt to touch upon all issues that Black men face.

It is refreshing to see someone address the Black male character and explore him realistically. Certainly, this work should be an inspiration to all who read it, and it should also encourage other writers to explore Black male characters from similar vantage points.