Title: Homeward by Angela Jackson-Brown
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Genre: Historical fiction, Christian
Themes: Forgiveness, Love and loss, Fighting for freedom, Finding your joy, Religious identity
Culture: Black

Finding joy in hope and tragedy

Sadness, joy, and hope for the future bring the heartfelt story of Rose in Homeward by Angela Jackson-Brown as she navigates love and loss in the 1960s south. A moment of indiscretion irrevocably changes Rose’s life setting her on a path of self-discovery, forgiveness, and how to love again.

Homeward is a heartfelt medium paced novel that shares the highs and lows of black motherhood, black love, and being black in America during one of the most pivotal and tumultuous times in history. Jackson-Brown delicately but powerfully interweaves historical events of the Civil Rights Movement and the beginnings of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) into Rose’s story that inevitably shapes her into the woman she will become. She writes Rose’s story and that of the movement in a concise and linear fashion that is easily digestible for the reader.

For readers who love historical fiction centered around the Civil Rights Movement, the importance of family, and overcoming all odds you’ll love these books as well. With similar themes such as love and loss, forgiveness and race relations, I curated books you’ll also love. From classics like Toni Morrison’s beloved and James Baldwin’s Fire the Next Time to new releases such as James by Percival Everett these books are sure to pull at your heart strings and at looking at the fight for freedom with fresh eyes.

Rose finds not only her voice but also confidence as she embarks on a journey of redemption, forgiveness, and how to love herself. Although Rose’s journey of self-discovery is front and center, Homeward is also a story about the women of the Movement and the often overlooked and undervalued role they play. I believe this is such an important subplot of the novel that Jackson-Brown brings to light with compassion and grace. These women are given a ‘voice’ in the novel that shows their perspective, thoughts, and strong feelings about the actions going on around them. Their history is and their impact on The Movement is one we all need to read and hear with renewed interest and fresh eyes.

Centered within Homeward, the theme of love is vital to all aspects of the story. Not just love between a man and a  woman but also love among friends and generational love. Love serves as a driving force to help support, help, and forgive others no matter what they have done or the choices they make. An ‘agape’ love that transcends from heaven to earth, in the midst of all the storms and perils Rose faces as well as all those around her. You can tell I loved this story based on all my book tabs. Homeward is definitely a novel worth reading, I highly recommend it.