Books Off
the Hook
By Davene Swinson
Ever wonder what goes on in a man’s mind when he is
involved in a relationship? Well, Michael Baisden’s “Men
Cry in the Dark” gives you all the details in this novel about
four successful black men and their relationships.
Derrick, the main character, is a happily single man who
just quit his $70,000-a-year job to start his own magazine.
While promoting his new magazine “Happily Single,” he
meets Angela, the woman of his dreams. He ends up unhap
pily single by the end of the novel, however, after their rela
tionship takes a detour.
Derrick befriends three equally successful men; Tony,
Ben and Mark. They each have problems of their own deal
ing with the women in their lives, and Baisden uses their
friendship to explore the connection that these men have.
A former ladies’ man, Tony, has two woimen in his life, his fiancee and his eight-year-old daugh
ter. While preparing for his first wedding, he also struggles with a little “baby’s mama drama.” His
old girlfriend holds their daughter for ransom, tries to make Tony miss child visits and associates with
some unappealing characters.
Benjamin, or Big Ben as he is affectionately known, starts off in the novel as a bachelor like
Derrick. However, unlike his friend, Ben never learns to date women his own age, maintaining his
strong desire for “sweet young thangs.” Finally, he has a confrontation with one such girl that teaches
him a valuable, life-long lesson.
And last, but not least, there’s Mark. Mark grew up being teased for his speech impediment by the
black girls at his school. Because of this taunting, he stopped dating black women in high school and
is currently involved with a white woman named Christie. As a couple, they face the prejudice of
friends, family and strangers.
While the book does give the reader a few things to contemplate, it fails to create a full picture as
to what each character really thinks and feels in certain situations. Another complaint that some
peopl have is that the characters are not developed enough.
Overall, Baisden does a good job of creating an interesting read and portraying these defferent
relationships from the male perspective. The book’s clear language and exciting narrative drew the
interest, and sometimes critique, of everone in Hekima.
December 1999
12