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Medea’s Family Reunion

Don’t be fooled by Tyler Perry’s cross dressing or comedic appearance when you pick up Medea’s Family Reunion for a night of popcorn and laughter on the couch. This outwardly comedic movie has stronger themes just beneath the surface. From the first scene the comedy is entwined with serious issues such as domestic abuse, single parenthood and family troubles. Taking place in Atlanta, a mother and her two grown daughters, Lisa and Vanessa, take center stage of the movie. Lisa is faced with domestic abuse from her seemingly perfect fiancé. Her sister Vanessa, a single mother of two children, wonders if she can ever open her heart to a man again. The girls’ mother, Victoria, has secrets of her own that have been harming her daughters from an early age.

Medea and Tyler Perry’s other characters Joe and Brian are bring comic relief to the movie. Medea’s storyline of putting together a family reunion transforms from laughter and good food into a chance for the older family members to remind the frivolous youngsters how to represent their family and the southern African American culture. In the end, the inner struggles of Lisa and Vanessa have a chance to be overcome when the girls find the strength within themselves to fight back and find freedom. With themes of domestic abuse, single parent relationships, and family melodrama, Medea’s Family Reunion hits closer to home than might be expected from a comedy.

-Allison Cianci

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India Arie Testimony – Vol. 1

It has been a couple of years coming, but well worth that wait……Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship is most definitely one of the strongest albums of 2006. The album is incredibly strong because India is obviously more humbled by her past life experience and allows us into her heart, mind and soul to share those experiences with her listeners.

Songs, like “These Eyes”, “Good Morning” and “India’s Song” will have you rewinding the CD over and over. India also does a fantastic job singing Don Henley’s “The Heart of the Matter”. Other hits include “Better People”, “I Am Not My Hair” featuring Akon. If you can only purchase one CD, then this is the one.

-Michelle Linzy

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Single Mom By Omar Tyree

In this 390-page drama, Omar Tyree, documents the life and loves of single mother Denise Stewart. Denise escaped the ghetto of her childhood in Chicago for the suburbs through determination, perseverance, hard work, and education. After 10 years of being on her own and raising her sons from two previous relationships, Denise finds herself somehow involved with their fathers, each of whom is suddenly interested in their child; and all when she has fallen head over heels for Brock, a truck driver. What will she do? Who will she choose? What do the kids think of the situation?

-Andrea DeLeo

“My life lesson is sharing everything that has happened to me and using the “gift” of pain to move forward and inspire other people to work their dream, no matter what happens; just to keep going, keep moving because when you keep on, keeping on, sooner or later fate does step in and help you.”

-Fauna Hodel