Good Dirt: A Novel

I really enjoyed this book. I love books that go back and forth between the past and the present, and I love historical fiction. Some of the retelling of the enslaved family members really broke my heart, but It was needed to connect the readers to the main character's family's love of their heirloom.

I'll be honest: the first paragraph of chapter one made me pause. I thought, I just finished a hard book, do I really have it in me to keep going? I am so glad I did. This is a book that asks you to sit with hard truths. It doesn’t rush you past them or soften them for comfort. Instead, it trusts the reader to stay, to listen, and to reckon. People need to read this book. At its heart, Good Dirt is about family, loss, inheritance, and what holds us together when the past refuses to stay quiet. It demands us to pay attention to the fact that history isn’t something that belongs neatly to “someone else.” One of the most striking ideas running through the book is this: People believe that her history is not their history too. But it is. Whether we claim it or not. The novel asks an uncomfortable question: What kind of history are we choosing to carry forward? One rooted in silence, denial, and violence or one shaped by accountability, truth, and repair? What I loved most is that, even in its heaviness, the book never loses sight of humanity. We are reminded that people are wired to persevere. People hurt, yes, but they still laugh. They still love. They still hope. When the weight of history feels like too much, the message isn’t to give up, it’s to find your outlet and keep going. Another powerful thread is moral responsibility. When faced with wrongdoing, it’s easier to deflect, to blame, to look away. But we shouldn't be let off that easily. We need ownership. If you make a mistake, own it, correct it, and don’t keep repeating it. Silence isn’t neutral here, it’s a choice. And looking away is its own form of participation. The historical passages, especially those referencing violence and voter suppression during Reconstruction, land with chilling clarity. You don’t have to stretch to make the connections to now. She needed a soft reentry. Girl. Same. This book asks a lot of the reader. It stirs grief, anger, reflection, and resolve. You may need to put it down and breathe. That’s okay. Come back when you’re ready. Good Dirt is not an easy read, but it is a necessary one. Thoughtful, timely, and deeply human, it stays with you long after the final page.

I was excited to read this book because it is the same author as Black Cake. Wilkerson does a great job of weaving together a present-day story that starts with a tragedy and a story of slavery and racism. Time stopped for 10-year-old Ebby Freeman when she heard the shot that killed her brother and shattered a family heirloom (a stoneware jar). The Freemans are one of the only Black families in a well to do New England neighborhood. The crime is never solved and years later, after Ebby's high profile engagements falls apart, her family is once again in the spotlight. Ebby flees to France, but the past seems to follow her. Ebby is not only processing her loss (brother, romance and family treasure) but the loss her parents suffered as well. Soon Ebby realizes the jar contains more than just her family's history.

The past and the present are told through multiple perspectives. This is a well written character driven story with many themes: grief, slavery, racism, ancestry, inheritance and the importance of respecting history to understand our present. We inherit the stories of our past and can use them to shape our future. I also really liked the short chapters! So 4 ⭐️ because it does have a lot of storylines. Overall, I really liked it!

I really enjoyed the historical narrative of the "Old Mo" jar, but I found the modern romantic subplot to be lacking. I tend to read more historical fiction than romance, which could be a reason it just fell flat for me.

It was a good book and very well written. However, there was sooo many characters and so many eras that each story could have been their own book. I know what the author was trying to do but maybe should have been written as a series or prequels.