In this historical fiction, a young woman finds a new home in 1960s New Jessup, Alabama, a self sufficient African American town with strong internal political differences. The writing was lovely and the repartee in the dialogue was fun. ( )

This historical novel examines the tensions that arose when an intentionally Black community in Alabama faced the rising civil rights movement in the 1950s. How did Black folks create safe havens in the first half of the 20th century when Jim Crow was at its peak power? Why might some have been reluctant to lose that community and safety? This novel explores these questions through the lives of its characters.

The only thing I like more than nonfiction is 20th Century historic fiction - so this book was set up to be quite the treat for me! And I really liked the story, the characters felt whole and realistic. The historic connections were interesting and relevant. The story made sense and connected beautifully to the historic time. I enjoyed the lyrical and rhythmic writing. The audio performer was excellent. My only misgivings are that sometimes I was distracted by stretches of superfluous and convoluted descriptions. Only at a certain points - and perhaps too many - where the similes and metaphors stacked up chock-o-block that the overall impression simply lost it's beauty. At those points the descriptions were gratuitous beyond irritating. It made what could have been an awesome 5-star book into something less. ( )

New Jessup, Alabama, is the opposite of a "sundown town", where Black people cannot stay overnight. The fictional New Jessup's Black founders self-segregated and founded a community that offers comfort and opportunity to all its Black residents, which is threatened by the rise of the Civil Rights movement. Orphaned Alice is a refugee from a town where she escapes attempted rape by her landlord by purchasing a bus ticket as far as she can go. Upon arrival in New Jessup, she is startled at the lack of segregated signage, or any signage, to instruct her as to where she can or can't walk, work, or breathe freely. She falls in love with Raymond, son of one of the town's founding fathers, but is still yearning for her sister Rosie, who has disappeared in Chicago. She's also concerned about the nascent civil rights movement's interest in desegregating the state and their insulated, safe town. Alice knows that progress needs to be march on, but is fiercely defensive of the cocoon of her safe space. The outside world does, of course, intrude, and New Jessup needs to make important decisions. The relationship of Alice and Raymond is so solid and loving that the reader retains a pervasive fear for their, and New Jessup’s, future. Excellent lyrical writing of a world that may or may not have existed. ( )

And I am temporary living in Texas and want to get out this year. I had no idea until we moved here about the depth of hatred here. My ancestors were Quakers and worked with the Underground Railroad. I have been in Alabama once in the 1960's and glad to get ourt out there. My father took us on a road trip from Indiana to Florida and we had to stop at a reststop in the country. We pulled up to an old wooden building and froze. That was my first introduction to segregation. On the left, a sign for Colored and on the right Whites Only. Even two water fountains with the same kind of signs. We pulled out without using the facility. My stomach churned and I felt that I smelled fear and hated in the air. To me, it was alien world.

That is one of my experiences as white in the past. I have had many others. I am thinking that I need to write my memories down.

Now back to the book, this book is character driven and historical fiction. Poetic in places, the book also had many metaphors, some where easy to understand like the swamp, others were lost to me. I was drawn to main character, Alice Young and saw a little of her in myself. I really wanted her to know as a main character what happened to her sister but that was left hanging. I had take longer than usual to read the book because some of the structure was confusing. I wanted things to happen in this book but they did not/

It is thought provoking but I am eager for the author to write more. ( )