Good Dirt completely blew me away, I loved everything about this book. Charmaine Wilkerson has such a gift for telling generational stories, and the way she uses a single artifact to tie everything together is just brilliant (she already accomplished this so well in Black Cake, and Good Dirt just continues to show her chops for this kind of storytelling). You really feel the weight of family history in every chapter, how the past defines, shapes, and sometimes haunts the present.

What find most impressive is how she brings traumatic events and real history to life. It never feels heavy-handed…just honest, emotional, and deeply human. Her characters feel so real, and their stories stay with you long after you finish the book. Ebony, Baz, Soh, Avery, Henry, Ed, and so many more… all of them feel deeply thought out, and the Wilkerson’s ability to make you feel connected to everyone is something few authors accomplish. 

This is one of those novels that feels intimate despite its massive scope (1800s-2019), I felt deeply for every character and deeply appreciated the attention to history from Wilkerson. Absolutely worth the read.

PS: the author’s note mentions many of the history books that guided her writing journey, I look forward to hopefully diving into those as well!