Browsing: African American Interest

“Intensely emotional” (Publishers Weekly): In Reconstruction-era New Orleans, Effie, a freedwoman, finds work as an embalmer — and enters an exhilarating new world of social activism as she begins to grapple with her own traumatic past. “Effie’s story is one of personal growth, self-discovery, friendship, and betrayal… Unforgettable” (Library Journal).

This “powerful tale” (Library Journal) follows three very different people in Louisiana as their rural community comes to terms with school integration in 1969. A “potent illustration of the formidable obstacles to equality that remained ― and persist ― post–Brown v. Board of Education” (Kirkus Reviews).