Book Review - Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson


The daughter of an affluent Black family pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom in this moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake, a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick. The story has historical markers such as the Fugitive Slave Act. The author notes that while doing research, she learned of the history of David Ruggles from the mid 1800s, who ran the nation’s first African American bookstore and journal in Florence and is said to have assisted more than six hundred fugitives on the Underground Railroad. Also, David Drake, a real-life potter following the end of his enslavement.


This is a multi-generational narrative packed with themes of resilience, identity, and reckoning with history. It’s s layered with personal and historical tensions, where family legacies collide with personal tragedy and societal prejudice.

Ebby seems caught between her heritage and her present struggles. Her evolution from effortless beauty and Henry’s fiancé into a self-realized person is a compelling story line. How does she reclaim her agency after heartbreak, personal loss, and the weight of family history? Her work as an editor and ghostwriter could serve as a metaphor for finding her voice while amplifying others.

The Jar (Old Mo) symbolizes the Freeman family’s legacy and resilience. Does Ebby eventually uncover its full story? What role does it play in connecting the past and present, especially in the context of the Freeman family’s history with the Underground Railroad.

The story gives you generational duality with shifting timelines between 1803 to 2021 that allows you to explore how systemic racism and personal sacrifice reverberate across centuries. Kandia’s story of survival, the Freeman family’s land ownership, and Soh’s rebellion against the Fugitive Slave Act offer poignant moments to contrast with Ebby’s modern struggles.

The setting of the novel in Massachusetts & Refuge County seems deeply tied to heritage in which the contrast between Ebby’s affluent but scrutinized upbringing in Massachusetts and her escape to France highlight the intersection of identity and belonging.

There is mystery and betrayal in this interwoven narrative by Charmaine Wilkerson as was also in her debut novel Black Cake, in which I also enjoyed reading. I look forward to what she will pen next.


Books to Read Beyond the Pages...


 
UK Edition

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