Angela Jackson-Brown

I listened to the narration on audio by Joneice Abbott-Pratt who does an outstanding job. I thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eBook in exchange for my honest review.

“My husband and child haven’t even been dead a year. I can’t think about any relationship beyond Jasper. He is my husband and I plan to remain true to him.” She was only twenty two years old, that she was still in her good graces with her grandmother in heaven, but more importantly, in the good graces of God. For the first time in a long time, Rose’s soul began to release some of the turmoil and heartbreak she had been carrying.

I adored the warmth of the family. A close knit family that hugged, kissed foreheads, linked arms, gave squeezes, and had laughter in the house. Opal (Mama) taught all of her children, the boys and the girls, how to make Great-Grandma Birdie’s peach jam as well as other food items. Rose liked helping her Dad at the store and he loved her being there with him.

The antisemitism so prevalent in this current day and time, it’s magnified by the Jewish faith, culture, and beliefs that the author presents in the novel. The characters in the novel for reference are a reflection of our current time and situations. The reference to the inequality of the black soldiers who served in the Vietnam War was touched on by the author.

The characters and the storylines were reminiscent to ‘Soul Food’ the movie, but set in a different era, and more religiously infused. During the civil rights movement era, blacks needed the help of whites to get through the fight. The civil unrest is in this country, has resurfaced in recent years all around America, back in the civil rights movement it was most prevalent in the south, places like Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama.The novel has drama, romance, second chances, historical significance, and courage, Living in small rural town of a martyre (Jimmie Lee Jackson) who died during a push for black Americans to register to vote, brought me instant relatability to this story. This is a great southern fiction sprinkled with raw and truthful accounts of our history that needs telling and retelling so that history does not repeat itself. #NetGalley #Homeward… (más)

Homeward by Angela Jackson-Brown is a beautiful and moving novel of love, loss, grief, family, race relations and finding the strength to move forward both for one woman and for a nation. Set in Georgia in 1962, Rose, a young Black woman, has lost her husband and daughter and, for a while, herself in grief. These are tumultuous times in the South where racism is systemic to all aspects of life, where sitting down at a Woolworth lunch counter is seen as an act of extreme rebellion and where the Civil Rights movement is gaining strength under the leadership of men like a young Martin Luther King and where young Black students have formed SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Ellena, Rose’s younger sister and a student at Spellman is a member. She pushes a reluctant Rose to join and, in doing so, gives Rose a way through her grief. A deeply thought-provoking novel about a very important time.

Thanks to Edelweiss+ and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.… (más)

I had no idea what to expect going in to this story. But I loved every. minute. of. it. Opal is such a good character and a good person. Her internal struggles are relatable, in a way. She is relatable in the way that she doesn't necessarily see the same thing in herself that everyone else does. The story is gutwrenching at times. I sobbed through the entire end. I loved the way the novel portrays the relationship between "good" white people and black people. I appreciated that the "good" white characters often times just wanted to help, but that didn't negate the harm that they actively did to the black characters. Man, there are just so many well-done things in this novel. I think I will need to read it again at some point.… (más)

This is not a happy book, but it is a fantastic one. Jackson-Brown is a master of stories covering the complexities of historical interracial relationships. I love that this takes place in the same universe as "When Stars Rain Down" and that we get to see some of the characters again.

Eva's story is heartbreaking, but the love and support she has is amazing. I also love that the story is set in the 40s and showcases that the Civil rights movement has deep roots that often get ignored in history classes.

Thank you to Angela Jackson-Brown and Harper Muse for the advanced reader copy!!… (más)