Two Black sisters growing up in small-town New England fight to protect their home, their bodies, and their dreams as the Civil Rights Movement sweeps the nation.
Griffiths excels at creating a seemingly innocuous small town never more than a hair trigger away from racial violence yet a place of safety and community for white people who 'never got to think of what the trees must feel like down home when our bodies be swinging from their branches.' Powerful.
Griffiths’ poetic sensibilities shine in the lyrical language she uses to describe horrific events. The depiction of the families’ isolation and vulnerability feels all too real, as does Griffiths’ portrayal of how dignity and resilience are passed down through generations. This stands as an affirmation of a family’s fierce pride and hard-won joy.
