Bebe, a forty-something bank supervisor and recent college graduate, has finally found the reason to end the self-imposed man sabbatical she began in Yolanda Joe's first novel, He Say, She Say-- a charming and sweet firefighter named Isaac Sizemore. A big, strapping "steak-colored" man who is as strong as he is sensitive, Isaac is the man of Bebe's dreams. But he's also a father dealing with the challenges of raising a thirteen-year-old daughter on his own. Much to Bebe's surprise, Isaac's whip-smart daughter, Dashay, turns out to be the "other woman" who threatens to keep them apart. Meanwhile Sandy, Bebe's best friend, who is struggling in the workplace as she clashes with the new owners of the radio station, continues on her adventure in search of true love, refusing to give up. Set in Chicago and told in alternating voices, Bebe's By Golly Wow sparkles with Yolanda Joe's deft storytelling, in-your-face dialogue, and marvelous insight as she paints a sensitive and funny tale of modern romance, family transitions, and heartfelt friendships. A lightweight follow-up to He Say, She Say (1997) provides a realistic, if uninspired, portrayal of remarriage in an urban middle-class African-American community. Bebe, a middle-aged bank supervisor, is looking for love, as is Sandy, an employee at a popular Chicago radio station. Sandy, though young enough to be Bebes daughter, is actually her best friend. Both women have been burned in the past, so when Bebe meets Isaac Sizemore, a well-read, thoughtful fireman whos raising his daughter on his own, its hard for her to accept that he's the real thing. Complicating matters is 13-year-old Dash, Isaac's daughter by Alicia, the woman who left him to ``see the world'' when Dash was only ten. Isaac finds himself caught in the opposed agendas of two strong-willed females, and it takes nearly losing everything before he wakes up and faces his responsibility both to Dash and the woman he loves. Meanwhile, in a subplot that gets short shrift, Isaac is also dealing with his irresponsible friend L.A., who's deep in gambling troubles and looking out for his elderly Uncle Lucius (Lucius manages to dispense more wisdom than all the other characters combined). While Bebe struggles with Dash--whose antics include pouring Tabasco into her food when she's not looking--Sandy's career is on the line: Her boss brings in a white consultant named Richard Belder, who intends to put his own stamp on the station. The most refreshing aspect of Joe's take on these two women's lives is that Bebe, older by 20 years, is rewarded for her experience by finding what she's been seeking, while Sandy learns from Bebe's patience and sustaining self-respect. A pedestrian story line, but as before, with lively dialogue and smart-as-a-whip female protagonists. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Praise for He Say, She Say: "A delightful story." --Washington Post "The vivid characters yanked me right in, and the witty style kept me hanging on to the end." --Connie Briscoe, author of Big Girls Don't Cry "This novel is irresistible." --Emerge y-something bank supervisor and recent college graduate, has finally found the reason to end the self-imposed man sabbatical she began in Yolanda Joe's first novel, He Say, She Say-- a charming and sweet firefighter named Isaac Sizemore. A big, strapping "steak-colored" man who is as strong as he is sensitive, Isaac is the man of Bebe's dreams. But he's also a father dealing with the challenges of raising a thirteen-year-old daughter on his own. Much to Bebe's surprise, Isaac's whip-smart daughter, Dashay, turns out to be the "other woman" who threatens to keep them apart. Meanwhile Sandy, Bebe's best friend, who is struggling in the workplace as she clashes with the new owners of the radio station, continues on her adventure in search of true love, refusing to give up. Set in Chicago and told in alternating voices, Bebe's By Golly Wow sparkles with Yolanda Joe's deft storytelling, in-your-face dialogue, and marvelous insight as s Yolanda Joe is author of the Blackboard bestselling books He Say, She Say and Falling Leaves of Ivy. A former newswriter at CBS in Chicago, Joe is a graduate of Yale University and the Columbia School of Journalism. She lives in Chicago. Bebe Like a fine liqueur on the rocks, I'm straight up expensive--sweet on the lips--intoxicating in small doses--hard to put down--and good to the last drop.  Why have I not found a brother who will savor me the way he savors a good drink?  I'm not bashing, I'm bothering.  I'm bothering to let them know that I need their attention on a positive tip. I'm neither perfect nor hopelessly flawed.  I'm a regular sister.  And there are way too many nice, single, working black women out here looking for love.  I'm in my forties and if I have to stay single, I'm not going to cry . . . at least not in public.  But privately I will long for the sweet love, nurturing, and