PositiveUSA TodayThe text is timely, as people are increasingly looking to learn about race and the Black experience in the United States through books, amid calls for conversations on justice and equity sparked in part by protests about systemic racism ... Jerkins weaves a vivid and painful backstory of Black people forced into enslavement in the American South ... The book is filled with poignant examples from across multiple centuries, including those retold in classrooms and those relegated to forgotten parts of our country\'s consciousness ... Jerkins speaks truth to power....She also does the research, inputting all the relevant facts and figures to give some necessary numerical context to her musings on the migratory patterns. She relies on scholars, professors, family members and residents of the cities from her travels to provide the instructive mise-en-scène that accompanies her analysis. The numbers are critical in connecting the dots, with both the hyperpersonal stories and the universal truths shared by many Black Americans over generations, though in a few instances the data can come off as pedantic ... It\'s when Jerkins sews her familial threads with those poignant historical facts from deep in the archives of America that the book is most impactful. Equally heartbreaking and reaffirming are the trials and tribulations too many Black people in the United States have faced and somehow conquered, coming out more resilient on the other side.
Anissa Gray
PositiveUSA TodayAnissa Gray\'s debut novel...examines...cracks in the familial glass, giving readers a gripping and sharp story about what it takes to hold a family together when everything is falling apart ... The sisters\' words are emotionally resonant and substantial while carrying readers through the story, yet linger after putting the book down. And while the point of view is of a black family in small town Michigan, the story holds timeless and universal qualities.
Ellie Kemper
PositiveUSA TodayHilariously self-deprecating while maintaining a refreshingly entertaining and positive outlook ... a breezy read that has actual laugh-out-loud moments thanks in part to her nonchalantly sarcastic commentary.
