The Reformatory
By Tananarive Due
When Robert Stephens Jr. was sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys for kicking a white boy, his sister Gloria vowed she would do whatever it took to save him. At 16, Gloria has been Robert’s guardian since their mother passed away. Twelve-year-old Robert is terrified. Advised to stay out of trouble by becoming invisible, Robert’s talent for seeing haints (ghosts) quickly puts him in the spotlight. First, Gloria tries the legal route, questioning the sheriff, the powerful white landowner and the NAACP. With no time to lose, she finally turns to her godmother, Miz Lottie, a mighty old woman who has never let their family down. Together they devise a plan to free Robert before it is too late. Gracetown is based on the Dozier School for Boys, an actual reform school in the Florida Panhandle built in 1900. Despite the abominable rumors, it wasn’t until an investigation in 2009 that officials finally closed the facility. In 2012, a team of forensic anthropologists from USF uncovered 55 burials and nearly 100 unexplained deaths. This shocking novel set in the 1950s explores racism, injustice and the power of family.
Good Dirt
By Charmaine Wilkerson
At 10 years old, Ebby Freeman’s life was shattered when she witnessed the brutal murder of her brother — a tragedy her family has never fully healed from, even after years of therapy. Now approaching 30, Ebby faces another devastating blow: being left at the altar by Henry, the man she thought would help her start anew. The weight of her pain, privilege and family’s expectations sends her spiraling, and she flees the comfort of her parents’ New England home for the charm and solace of a picturesque French village. In this journey across oceans and centuries, Ebby begins to chronicle the remarkable story of her family’s rise from slavery to prominence in Massachusetts. From the backbreaking toil of plantation life to daring escapes on whaling ships, her ancestors — artists, inventors and carpenters — built a legacy of resilience and excellence. Through a vibrant cast of characters, both past and present, Ebby’s story becomes a powerful tale of survival, heartbreak and triumph. In her third stunning novel, Charmaine Wilkerson weaves together threads of Black history, familial bonds and the complexities of relationships into an unforgettable saga of freedom and forgiveness. A thoughtful, captivating read.
Fallen Grace
By Sadeqa Johnston
Bubbles Jones could not imagine handing over her baby. Sequestered in a home for unmarried girls, Bubbles refuses to give up or give in to her Southern Baptist minister father who does not practice what he preaches. She finds a way to escape with a little help from a friend. These girls, one white and one Black, are frowned upon by a hypocritical society that has hidden them away in a shameful attempt to put their babies up for adoption. In segregated 1950s Virginia, the entire community has turned its back on girls in “trouble,” forcing them to believe they have no options except to let the adults in charge take advantage of their naivete and put them to work. The girls don’t have many options, but they are strong and determined to build a life they can be proud of. This short story from Amazon Original Blaze series is free for Prime members and easy to download. Similar to this author’s last two novels, “The Yellow Wife” and “The House of Eve,” it is expertly crafted and filled with characters you will be thinking of long after the final page.
#WorthWatching: “The Six Triple Eight.” A war drama based on the American 6888th Battalion, the only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to serve during World War II. Their mission was to organize 17 million backlogged letters during the war, a task everyone assumed was impossible. Don’t miss this well-done, heartfelt true story on Netflix.
