Once Kitty finds out she’s pregnant, she believes she can’t keep the baby for fear that it will expose her true identity as a Black woman. in " The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly " Publishing This Week" newsletter. Half a century earlier, Joan’s grandfather built this majestic house in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass—only to be lynched days after becoming the first Black detective in the city.

Picture this: Kitty Karr Tate, a White icon of the silver screen, leaves her massive estate to the St. This introduces her to a network of women, both passing and not, who are working to help those suffering through the Jim Crow South. by Crystal Smith Paul is an engaging and moving read about the impact of racism on an American family. It was a gift, given to her mother more than two decades ago by a French director courting her for a film she ultimately declined. There’s a lot here to learn, ponder, and discuss for book clubs, so in that respect, kudos to Reese for her selection.An impressive debut that covers a wide range of topics from racism, family, fame, motherhood and more. What’s interesting is a character says to Elise in the present that he doesn’t believe that—there’s always a choice to be made. From the acclaimed author of The Girls of Ennismore comes a captivating and extraordinary tale of perseverance and bravery. There’s even a trip to Maine, my personal favorite seaside location; this one wins for hitting two of my criteria at once. I finished this hoping for an author's note because this raises so many questions, but perhaps they're meant not to be answered.

Kitty Karr” is uneven, but this is an ambitious novel, illuminating the complexities of racial identity, particularly what it means to be Black in Hollywood no matter the era. The truth behind Kitty's ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the segregated South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties, debts owed, and debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. But what she discovers in one of Kitty’s journals rocks her world harder than any other brewing scandal could—and between a cheating fiancé and the fallout from a controversial social media post, there are plenty.I love to read and review various genres with a focus on contemporary fiction, historical fiction with some mysteries/thrillers and also select nonfiction and memoirs. Why did Kitty wait until she passed away for Elise and the rest of the family to know the truth about their family? One of her subjects is their enigmatic neighbor Miss Dawn, who claims to know something about curses, and whose stories about the past help Joan see how her passion, imagination, and relentless hope are, in fact, the continuation of a long matrilineal tradition. Discuss the significance of their stories within the larger themes of race, identity, and social justice. The novel is told through different timelines and perspectives—mainly Kitty in the past and Elise in the present.

Her youngest daughter, Ruby, is a struggling comedienne who uses her famous mother as fuel for her bitter, cynical humor.Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent.