Challenging Important
tldr: Noone is without bias,
I was on the fence about reading this book, It was about the coming of age of liberal white women in thes, I mean, you can see how this could go bad, And, the fact that this book is so good is a testament to White's characterdevelopment, She pulls no punches. These are real women. Their lessons about race and class are hardwon and described easily, Readers get to know these women and the difficulties of the society they exist in, This is a wonderful book for everyone but particularly for people who claim not to be racist, This book shows how everyone is racist, and how you work to transform your relationship with race, This book is surprisingly powerful, wrapped up in a historical fiction about a couple of gals,
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review,
Seema Rao Write : sitelinkInstagram sitelinkBlog sitelinkTwitter The journey of the boomer generation from's radicals to's conservatives has been traced out before, and often it's not a story I'm all that interested in, but it does feel newly relevant in our current times.
It seems a particularly good time for a story about how minor political differences can lead to significant alterations of friendships and relationships.
While it starts with a lot of potential, ultimately I felt that it didn't go deep enough to be really satisfying.
Eve and Daniella meet as so many female friends in books do, on their first day of college at their shared dorm room.
Eve is a Southern blonde from a family of means, a thirdgeneration attendee of their small women's college.
Daniella is halfJewish though a practicing Unitarian, the child of educated liberals with strong politics, They are not much alike on paper but immediately become fast friends, especially as Eve slowly begins to see the inequality of the world around her for the first time away from the shelter of her parents.
At first Daniella is the stronger force, trying to help Eve understand how things work, but ultimately it is Eve's emotional investment that becomes stronger and deeper.
Eve makes lots of wellmeaningwhitegirl mistakes but only grows more committed, Daniella begins to follow a more traditional path and their lives diverge, only to find themselves intertwining again years later.
From there the book skips forward in time to their daughters, looking at how Eve and Daniella have changed, and how their choices have played out for their families.
But once the book reaches its turning point halfway through, it loses much of its momentum, After hopping from one character to the other, letting us see how they both feel, at one point we stop following Eve's point of view entirely even though it is at the most crucial point where she goes through the most change.
Nor do we get to go back inside her head after everything has played out, Instead we follow Daniella's daughter, who is the least involved in the second half of the plot, Seeing it from her point of view doesn't make it more interesting or dramatic, it only keeps us at a distance from the meatiest part of the story.
It also makes the plot feel more pat and predictable without seeing it directly,
This book tries to make some interesting points about radicalism and extreme beliefs, about how to make change, but it doesn't see them through.
Daniella reflects at the end of the book on her beliefs and her commitment to them, but these reflections feel halfhearted, all done in retrospect.
The way Eve and Daniella challenge each other at the beginning of the book is really interesting, But after they fall into typical polite adult behavior, the stakes don't feel the same, “We Are All Good People Here” by Susan Rebecca White is a story of two women who meet at a womens college in the beginning of the “s.
The women, Eve and Daniella, come from two very different backgrounds with differing ideas of what college will mean for them.
Eve is a pampered southern belle who intends to pledge a sorority, get her MRS degree, and live a privileged life in Atlanta.
Danielle is middle class, from Georgetown, with two working parents, her father Jewish, and she plans to be a professional working woman.
Eve arrives with her Grandmothers silver tea set and mink coats, Daniella arrives with a small valise with basics, This school has black maids who do the girls laundry, clean their dorm rooms, and well, be maids.
Daniella is aghast that the maids are treated as slaves for the overprivileged girls, Eve doesnt bat an eye, as she was raised by a black woman while her mother socialized, Long story short, the girls bond over social injustices, Eve is very mailable, which portends her turbulent future
The story is slow to begin, dragging through some of the college years.
Eve becomes mixed up in an underground antiwar radical group while Daniella spends her time fighting racism, Daniella who awoke Eve to racial and social injustices, and injustices everywhere, is the steady intellectual girl who plans out correct methods to seek change.
Eve is a bit flightier and is easily manipulated, Eves antics in her early twenties are difficult to read, White shows, through Eve how naïve young adults fell victim to charismatic leaders,
Although the girls lose track of each other, they get together when Eve finds herself in a jam, and Daniella, an attorney, helps her.
Daniella has her own injustices, as a female attorney in an allmale firm, she is discriminated because of her gender.
Both Eve and Daniella have children at around the same time, and their girls become friends.
Eve goes back to her pampered lifestyle, while Daniella fights tooth and nail to be successful, White uses Daniella to show the gender injustices of working women in thes ands, Plus, Daniella has childcare issues that were a growing problem with the working women of that time,
This is a story of the social changes of thes throughs that have nuances, especially in the south.
Its a story of two women who make different choices and how those choices impact their lives and their childrens lives.
Each woman is flawed, and each has amazing strengths, They are kind and generous in different ways, Yet, they are totally different people, I like it. It is a thoughtprovoking novel,
Definitely a solid read for me,
I definitely liked this more than I thought I would, I also really enjoyed the period it coveredss as it was timely, lots to compare to todays headlines and also educational for this child of the earlys.
Eve Whalen and Daniella Gold become fast friends when they are assigned as each other's roommates in their prestigious, women's college in Atlanta during the early's.
They bond over shared indignation that the maids all colored live in the basement and are required to live with the students they care for, around the clock during the week.
Eve also stands by her new best friend when Daniella is shunned from joining the sororities on campus because she is Jewish.
As we move through the tumultuous times of the Vietnam era and beyond, both of their lives take a vastly different turn.
It is much later they reconnect and follow their lives and that of each daughter through the lates.
I'm not sure if I had a better reaction to this because I didn't live through this time period so a lot of it is new My parents who came of age during the Vietnam era and are about the same age as our main characters in the book didn't share a lot of their experiences during this time in their life with me.
All I really know is that they were against the war vehemently and that's about it, So reading everything through the experience of Eve who joined a radical altleft group fighting against the US government was entirely new.
Also, extremely interesting and terrifying, I also liked the earlier part of the book that took place during their college years because it gave a lot of perspective of the white, uppermiddle class South of which I haven't read too much of.
It piqued the little sociologist in me to read about something so foreign!
Where I found I was frustrated with the first half, I was thankful for in the second which is weird how that worked out.
I felt like I was kept at arms length from Eve and Daniella because so much is found out through the other person's perspective and time jumps rather quickly.
I wanted to learn more about what they went through each day and maybe spend more time in this part of the book.
However, in the second half, I didn't mind that as much maybe because I was used to it at that point and also because I appreciated it as the story wound down.
The book would have been well overpages if everything was told at length,
Overall, I felt the writing was very good, I learned a lot of new things and I was never bored.
At a little overpages, this was a great read and one I definitely enjoyed,
Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books and Susan Rebecca White for the opportunity to read this and provide an honest review.
Date:
Publication Date:Although the time period is authentically portrayed, I am ending at.
Can't deal with that cat scene, not only can't but won't, Don't feel the story would have been any less had that been left out, Check out my fascinating sitelinkQampA Elevator Interview with the master Southern storyteller, Susan Rebecca White, Get exclusive behindthescene inspiration of her extraordinary novel, WE ARE ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE, plus fun facts about the author.
I am excited to share with you one of my favorite Southern authors, master storyteller, Susan Rebecca White, and her latest highly anticipated novel, WE ARE ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE "cover of the year" and Top Books of!
A few months ago, I stumbled upon this vibrant cover, a stunning "optical illusion" and was spellbound.
It drew me in. I "must" read this book, But wait, next, OMG, I noticed the author's name, . . Could this possibly be "the" Susan Rebecca White
The Atlanta Southern Author I adore, who wrote sitelinkA Place at the Table LOVED, sitelinkA Soft Place to Land, and sitelinkBound South all favorites I read each of these books years ago allGlowing Stars.
I fell in love with the author's authentic storytelling and her way of making the characters jump off the page.
A Place at the Table landed on my Top Books of, and have been anxiously awaiting her next book.
Immediately, I go to her profile on Amazon and, YES! it is the "same" Susan Rebecca White! Where has this gal been Five years.
Yes, I do stalk my favorite popular authors anxiously waiting for the next book, Trust me, it is worth the wait,
You can guess I went a little "crazy" and started emailing everyone to snag an ARC copy of this book, dying to get her on my editorial schedule for a QampA Interview, even though I had already scheduled four others for August.
thank you, Atria A dream come true, As an Atlanta gal, I have always supported Atlanta and Southern authors,
OK, now that I have told you about my obsession, I do not want to take too much time telling you how fabulous Susan Rebecca White truly is, so we can get into this interview and her latest novel.
She is amazing.
I love her writing and highly recommend each of her books, but her latest book is a true "masterpiece.
" Her most accomplished novel yet! As with her previous books, Susan writes about the underdog, the injustices, racism, diversity, family, the South, history, religion, and the complexities of life.
Highly charged emotional topics, all her books are characterdriven, Different people from all walks of life come together, She does not hold back, I call this one her "grownup" reallife booktotally "radical, "
As the author mentions, we can try to rewrite our history, but the truth will eventually surface, as we find in her latest novel.
How women, in particular, feel the need to reinvent who they once were when they have children
WE ARE ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE brilliantly explores the lives of two young women who form a bond starting at Belmont College in thes, and their lives are forever changed.
Often it takes one incident to ignite a movement, A gripping, multigenerational story inspired by real events that follow their friendship for years to come, even though they take different paths.
Can you imagine a debutante going underground From political awakening, social classes, racial, privilege, justice, causes, passions, duty, love, friendship, family, and moral divides.
The first half of the book, we follow the turbulents with two women from college and beyond.
this is the era I lived through: college, marriage, children,
The second half of the book, we catch up with their daughters as the dark secrets of the past began to unravel.
This novel covers an incredible periodfrom the earlys to thes,
The story resonates with what we are dealing with today across America in these trying and turbulent times.
Ironically, Georgia ranks among the worst states in America for womens equality, Often you think we are going backward instead of forward,
Georgia has always been a controversial state, particularly Atlanta, I resided in Vinings, Buckhead, and Midtown and was in the media business as an associate publisher Atlanta BampB Magazine, Black's Guide, Network Publishing, Cahners/Reed, and publisher Primedia for many years before relocating to South Florida full time.
Atlanta will always be home for me and often meet up with my sons there which reside in NC.
Look at what is going on in the headlines at the moment: Controversial antiabortion bill passes in Georgia State Senate.
Controversial Atlanta judge hit with ethics charges by state watchdog agency, Celebrities postpone events and shows, An activist artist removes controversial art from the Atlanta beltway, Atlanta's Controversial 'Cityhood' Movement. They also have an Atlanta Controversial Topics Group, And the list goes on and on, Atlanta is diverse. Spreadout, and traffic is a nightmare, It is forever changing.
Without individuals who speak up, take action, risk their lives for a bigger cause, where would our country be As referenced in this extraordinary blending of fact and fiction, the author explores courageous woman and men who have stood on their beliefs to create change.
I totally agree with one of the author's previous interviews, Atlanta is the perfect setting for these rich fictional stories,
In WE ARE ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE, the author proposes many thoughtprovoking questions:
Why do good intentions often lead to tragic outcomes Can we separate our political choices and our personal morals And is it possible to truly bury our former selves and escape our own history She adds a new dimension.
Actions have consequences.
White offers detailed historical research into the Weather Underground Organization, documentaries, and other references for additional reading.
I particularly enjoyed learning more about the Mississippi Summer Project, “Freedom Summer,” and what occurred during those months and enjoyed learning more about Bob Moses and particularly, Fannie Lou Hamer.
Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamers role in the civil rights movement was absolutely fundamental and blown away by her continuous courage to overcome obstacles and providing a voice for others.
Read More on Susan's website,
The true essence of the story, as the author so eloquently describes:
"I I hope that readers, no matter where they fall on the political spectrum, will recognize how dangerous ideological purity isremoved from love, removed from mercy, removed from compassion.
I hope this book encourages readers to seek justice, but with love, "
Indeed, you accomplished your goal and exceeded all expectations!
I cannot wait to tell everyone about this powerful book.
I am a huge fan of shows such as Underground, Queen Sugar, and The Good Fight, etc, Flannery O'Connor would
be proud! You will note many similarities here ripped from todays headlines,
If you are new to the author's work, I highly recommend reading her previous books as well, listed below.
I hope you enjoy reading as much as I did and look forward to your thoughts,
PS. Since these are some of my longtime favorite Southern authors, please take a moment to review the recent feature in Atlanta Magazine, sitelink Scribes of Summer.
Atlanta authors talk about their latest books and invite us inside the writers life,
Congrats, Susan another hit!
A special thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.
JudithDCollins
sitelink JDCMustReadBooks ,