River Sing Me Home: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK - This beautiful, page-turning and redemptive story of a mother's gripping journey across the Caribbean to find her stolen children and piece her family back together is a "celebration of motherhood and female resilience" (The Observer).
Named One of Time's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 "A powerful novel that explores how freedom and family are truly defined"--Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian Her search begins with an ending.... The master of the Providence plantation in Barbados gathers his slaves and announces the king has decreed an end to slavery. As of the following day, the Emancipation Act of 1834 will come into effect. The cries of joy fall silent when he announces that they are no longer his slaves; they are now his apprentices. No one can leave. They must work for him for another six years. Freedom is just another name for the life they have always lived. So Rachel runs. Away from Providence, she begins a desperate search to find her children--the five who survived birth and were sold. Are any of them still alive? Rachel has to know. The grueling, dangerous journey takes her from Barbados then, by river, deep into the forest of British Guiana and finally across the sea to Trinidad. She is driven on by the certainty that a mother cannot be truly free without knowing what has become of her children, even if the answer is more than she can bear. These are the stories of Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane and Mercy. But above all this is the story of Rachel and the extraordinary lengths to which a mother will go to find her children...and her freedom.
Named One of Time's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 "A powerful novel that explores how freedom and family are truly defined"--Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian Her search begins with an ending.... The master of the Providence plantation in Barbados gathers his slaves and announces the king has decreed an end to slavery. As of the following day, the Emancipation Act of 1834 will come into effect. The cries of joy fall silent when he announces that they are no longer his slaves; they are now his apprentices. No one can leave. They must work for him for another six years. Freedom is just another name for the life they have always lived. So Rachel runs. Away from Providence, she begins a desperate search to find her children--the five who survived birth and were sold. Are any of them still alive? Rachel has to know. The grueling, dangerous journey takes her from Barbados then, by river, deep into the forest of British Guiana and finally across the sea to Trinidad. She is driven on by the certainty that a mother cannot be truly free without knowing what has become of her children, even if the answer is more than she can bear. These are the stories of Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane and Mercy. But above all this is the story of Rachel and the extraordinary lengths to which a mother will go to find her children...and her freedom.
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Community Reviews
🌺 River Sing Me Home
This story follows the journey of Rachel, who has ran away from her plantation in hopes of finding freedom and reuniting her family who has been separated and sold off from her.
🇧🇧 Barbados is where Rachel’s journey begins and she finds herself on the other side of the island after finding a group of other runaways living in obscurity. There she finds home and the motivation see needs to set out on her journey.
Reading this book brought out a lot of different emotions for me. I was inspired by the main characters passion and thirst for survival, but the realities of slavery left me filled with hatred for those who oppressed so many others. I found joy in Rachel and her journey but was oftentimes reminded that after being held captive for so long, freedom still can escape you. Mentally one can be free, but still not know what it means to live it.
I highly recommend this read, which was well written and told a cohesive story. There are several triggers which may cause uncertainty for readers at time, but if you keep pressing forward, just like Rachel did, you will see light at the end of the tunnel.
Book 📚 Review
by Fallon Vaughn, moderator
We will be discussing, River Sing Me Home tonight on Zoom 7PM CST/8PM EST.
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#readcaribbean
Content warning for enslavement, sexual violence, abuse, graphic descriptions, and related topics. I really liked this novel. I've read a number of historical fiction books following the end of slavery set in America, but not one in the Caribbean. This book taught me new things and was really beautifully done. I liked the characters, especially Rachel. She was an amazing protagonist and so dimensional. There was some serious suspension of disbelief when it came to the plot, especially the ending. The ending is really ambiguous and I would have preferred some more certainty.
Following a mother and her quest for her children was a touching adventure the author brings us on. Inclined to cheer and want more for the main character, Rachel, the author managed to write the journey with such contentment, pride and solace through the drive of a mother and their connection to their children. I really liked how the author didn't write it overzealous but from the view of a mother who accepts her fate but just wants to know the peace and path of her children. The way the author is able to honor the history of the Caribbean, slavery, and struggles of the BIPOC from this generation is illuminating additions to the plot. I found myself staring at the beautiful cover and daydreaming often. This was a pleasure to read and a suggestion for all. I look forward to reading more from this author.
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