Homeward's focus is on Rose Perkins, who returns to her childhood home following the revelation that she is pregnant, but her husband is not the father. What follows is her tumultuous journey through dealing with both the fallout of this news and the general unpredictability of life— how tragedy can strike very suddenly, and to such a devastating degree. All of this unfolds in a small town at the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

good vibes:
- the family: The Perkins family feels alive. Despite them being a large family, it felt as though every member had a distinct voice, their own independence outside of the closeness that defines their overarching dynamic.
- systems of belief: I quite enjoyed the way the novel approached religion. "God" is brought up very frequently, but it isn't always in a manner that suggests firmly believing in one way or another. Aside from this message of tolerance, there's also a notion that sacred texts can be taught one way, but a believer's perception doesn't necessary develop to match or fit in that frame. In a similar vein — and related to the first point on voices — there was no singular approach to the Civil Rights Movement. Characters clashed with one another regarding its importance, its validity, and the contributions toward it as it unfolded. This conflict served very well in bringing the story to life.
- the emotion: the feelings were largely palpable! When the characters feel, they do so deeply, and the writing is cohesive enough so as to convey this depth.

shaky ground:
- the pacing: there were times wherein the story seemed to lose its footing with the progression. The narrative moves in quick beats in certain sections, seemingly demonstrating life's volatility, but then these are interspersed in between sections that move markedly slower. to the point wherein it was easy to begin only skimming through the words. This kind of composition isn't inherently bad, but it comes with the risk of making it seem as though some sections are lacking details while others are overtly repetitive.
- the timeline: by this, I mean understanding where exactly the story fits into history. The only explicit establishment of the year that I can remember is in the book's description and — related to the aforementioned pacing — the progression isn't always clear.
- the perspective?: I wonder if perhaps the work would have been stronger, had Rose's younger sister, Ellena, had been given a more central role. The personality differences between the two are already very fascinating as presented, but I can't help but think that balancing the two perspectives as opposed to focusing only on one would've further enriched the narrative.

I don't believe that Homeward necessarily sets out to be something groundbreaking, or something that "invents the wheel," so to speak. Rather, I think it's akin to a lighthouse: one of many present in the world, shining out as a guide. Homeward's small town setting showcases how wider progress must often-times begin with little steps, It's a message of hope, about how society may be far from perfect and its inhabitants far from equality, but through perseverance and action, there is always a chance for a brighter tomorrow.

My thanks to the author (Angela Jackson-Brown), the publisher (Harper Muse), and NetGalley for providing the opportunity through which I obtained an eARC for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
📖HOMEWARD
✍️ANGELA JACKSON -BROWN
🎉 10/10/23

WHAT HAPPENED:
This story takes place in 1969s Georgia. Rose has returned home pregnant and right away her mother knows, it’s not her husband’s baby because he has been away fighting in the war. Rose must come to terms with her mistakes and when her husband is tragically killed, she must find a way to overcome her grief and her regrets. Unbeknownst to their parents, her sister is involved in the civil rights movement and Rose apprehensively becomes involved as well. Can she find the courage to fight for her life and the rights of her people? Or will she lose herself in mourning the life she lost?

MY TWO CENTS:
Another great historical fiction under my belt! It was beautifully written and the characters had so much depth. What I loved about it was not only the growth of Rose but the background story of the civil rights movement. Unlike most stories I’ve read of this era, we see the trepidation Rose’s family and the elders in the community feel of “rocking the boat”. While the youth is fired up and want to invoke change, the older generation have seen and been through so much they have come to a place of being accustomed to the way things are. The quote I put in my post resonated with me because I personally don’t like when people say “I am not my ancestors.” I feel when we say that we are disrespecting and disregarding their plight. They did what they had to do. Whether it was fighting for their lives or turning the other cheek. They did it to survive. And most importantly they did it so we could have the lives we have now!

Thank you @netgalley for a chance to read and review this arc. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4.25⭐️

Homeward is an illuminating view into the life of a woman who becomes involved in the Civil Rights Movement. We follow Rose through significant personal losses, the racial targeting she and her family experience, and her journey towards finding the courage to fight for equality.

Rose is a very sympathetic character, and following her journey really helps to personalize the Civil Rights Movement. This story highlights both the progress we’ve made in the intervening decades, and at the same time just how much further we have yet to go.

Thank you Angela Jackson-Brown, Harper Muse, and NetGalley and publisher for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Set against the backdrop of the turbulent civil rights movement, a young woman despairing of her life returns home and slowly gets more and more involved with the movement. Great historical and social context, good character development. I can’t put myself in Rose’s shoes and so I don’t know how I would react to many of her difficulties, she whines when I would be pissed off in many of the circumstances.

Where to start with this novel! Homeward is definitely one of my favourite reads this year. It's absolutely breathtaking. No review I write will do this book justice, but I'm going to try anyway.

Georgia 1962, and Rose returns home pregnant with another man's baby after being unfaithful to her husband Jasper. He's away a lot with the Air Force, and Rose married young to a man who wasn't so honest about the way he could provide for her. Jasper still loves her and wants her back and agrees to raise the baby as his own. Forgiving her means being a family, and that's all both Rose and Jasper ever really wanted.
When Jasper returns back to duty, Rose's life is about to be turned upside down. She's about to face the worst things a woman can experience, but can her family and faith pull her through.

A beautiful novel about heartbreak and healing, family and faith, I can't adequately explain how this book made me weep. I absolutely adore the way family is portrayed with the perkins family as loyal and loving as they are. From segregation and fighting for the right to vote and be treated as fairly as white people, Homeward has so much depth to it. I can't recommend this book enough. It's one that will stay with me forever. I need it to be made into a movie now, please.
Ultimately, it is a story of resilience and love. I'm so pleased Rose got the beautiful ending she deserved.

A moving historical fiction novel that follows a young African American woman as she navigates love, marriage and motherhood during the tumultuous period of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s South. Great on audio narrated by Joneice Abbott-Pratt and highly recommended for fans of authors like Jesmyn Ward. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: infidelity, death of an infant in birth

Homeward by Angela Jackson Brown
#historicalfiction
#civilrights
#NetGalley published 10/10/2023
#harpermuse

This book takes place a generation after #WhenStarsRainDown. The first book of AJB's that I read and LOVED. It starts during the Vietnam War. Before President Kennedy's assassination. One of Opal's 5 kids is the center of this story. Rose got married early in life and unfortunately it was not a good decision. He life is filled with grief. Her baby sister, Ellena and the rest of her family helps her find her way out of her hole of grief.

I loved the closeness of the large family. I loved the way this book linked back to the When the Stars Rain Down. The book also mentions several well known events and people from that time. I loved hearing about the civil rights activists that didn't only include "Negros" as she called them in the book. It was the time. To the character's relief they were no longer called "colored". This author is now an auto-buy for me. I love the way she narrates her books with the dialogue of the time and region. It really makes me feel like I'm there.

#multiculturalinterest
#womensfiction
#homeward
#angelajacksonbrown @angelajacksonbrownauthor
#blackauthor
#bookstagram

Homeward by Angela Jackson-Brow was a good book- in my opinion, it really cements Angela Jackson-Brow as one of the best American writers to come out of the last few years. It is epic and entertaining all at once, and so skillfully done. Angela pulls off the task of making each character of the story equally compelling.
A wonderful story of family, heartbreak, loss and healing.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

A thoughtful emotional novel about a young woman in the South during the fight for civil rights. Rose loses so much- a child, a husband, intangibles- and yet she keeps picking herself up and moving forward. The civil rights movement not only inspires her, it become her life's purpose and the way to happiness. She's a well drawn character as are the others, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, A good read and one that's especially important for younger people.

Oh wow, this was painful, and I don't mean the story but the reading experience. I HATED the writing style, for one. It was so flat and fake, the conversations felt so painfully exaggerated to the point that they felt fake. It was slow, it was repetitive, it had a million characters who had no role int he book but just created confusion and so on. I have, like, 50 notes on my Kindle, but for me, this book is just not worth more of my time to copy them all.

A beautifully written book about a Black family in Mississippi in the early 1960s. This is the kind of story that will transplant you smack into the middle of a family's life. As you read, you'll feel like you are there with them on the front porch and at meal times. Each member of the family has a distinct personality and approaches solutions to rampant racism differently. In the end they all come together to create change in their own town.
The author really captured all the different feelings a person might have had in this place and time. Be it hesitation, fear, cautious enthusiasm, unbridled enthusiasm, indifference etc. These are memorable characters and a few are even unusual characters. I think this is a wonderful read and also a read that sheds light on some moments in history that are in danger of being forgotten.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's so well written and fascinating to get a glimpse into this time period and this wonderful family.

This historical fiction novel was a page turner. Following young Rose through mistakes, loss, and eventually finding her own voice amid the din of the civil rights movement across the South. Important educational information is touched upon, as well as the reactions and feelings of a family torn between wanting to be patient and quietly wait for their rights to come to them, or make themselves heard in their small town, while facing great unfairness and even abuse at the hands of the law. Well written story by Jackson-Brown, I will recommend it frequently..

Rose returns home, pregnant. The state of her pregnancy makes it clear that the baby’s father is not her husband, who is willing to forgive her and raise the baby as his own. When her husband is lost in the war, Rose is crushed by the pain she caused him. Coming out of her grief, her sister exposes her to the Civil Rights Movement activities underway and gradually pulls Rose in to a world her parents want her to stay far away from. This novel provides a wonderful narrative of the risks young people took in the 1960s as part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and how it was these brave decisions of individuals that helped turn the tide of the American South.

The reader is engaged in the civil rights fight to register black voters and achieve equal treatment for blacks in Parsons, Georgia. I was transported back in time to the tumult and anxiety of the early 1960s. Brown gave me the opportunity to view things through the eyes of a black family, to understand that not all blacks were opposed to protests and civil disobedience, and to witness the injustices inflicted on fine black people who were simply trying to build a better life for themselves and their children..

Such a great book! Beautifully written. Impacting. Soul searching. Truth telling. The nineteen sixties in Parsons, Georgia was a hard place to live as a person of color. Come back to it and see Opal and Cedric. Meet their families. They were in the previous book by Angela Jackson Brown. You don’t have to read it to follow this one, but if you haven’t, then you should. Completely absorbing. Loved it!

When Stars Rain Down was one of the most memorable books I’ve read. Angela Jackson Brown continues the family’s story in Homeward. Set in Parsons, Georgia, the reader is immersed in the civil rights movement to register black voters and get equal treatment for the blacks. I was swept back in time and relived the unrest and fear of the early 1960s. Brown allowed me to see this through the eyes of a black family, to know that not all blacks were not in favor of protests and civil disobedience, and to see the injustices heaped upon good black people who were only trying to make a better life for themselves and their families.

While Homeward did not touch me as deeply as the first book, it is definitely one I would recommend.

In 1962 Georgia, the world is changing. Some may say it’s for the better, but their lives will never be the same. Rose Perkins Bourdon returns to her family home in Parsons, GA without her husband and pregnant with another man’s baby. After tragedy strikes her family in more ways than one, Rose’s sister introduces her members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee better known as SNCC. They’re fighting for equal rights for the black community, including the right to vote. Though frightened and nervous, Rose finds herself becoming more active in their fight, much to the chagrin of her family. As the fight moves to their hometown, their family must learn how to push their fears aside and fight for what they believe in.

I found this book to have some heartwarming moments in it. I thought the relationship among the family was beautifully written and well fleshed out. The setting was well established and the scenes during the fight for human rights felt so immersive. It made me feel like I was in the room! I could feel the character’s pain and frustration with the way the world was and the fear of retaliation.

There are times I wish this book wasn’t in the first person. I felt like some of the inner monologue, especially in regards to the major losses in Rose’s life often felt a bit repetitive and overdone. It just dragged the novel down a bit for me. I also felt this story took a bit to get moving. It could have done with a bit of trimming.
Overall I liked this one, but wasn’t fully in the love it category.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity to read this book.

While the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement was poignant, I found the story to be unremarkable. There was not much of a character arc that kept the story interesting to me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

5 stars

Homeward is a beautifully written book about love, loss, faith, family, hope, and courage. I like how the Perkins family were close and respectful to each other. Rose made a mistake in her marriage, but she had a loving and forgiving husband.

Many times in her life Rose had to pick up the pieces of what was left and move on. She showed resilence and strength in the face of all she went through. She then found her calling in the Civil Rights Movement. She made history and forged new friendships and relationships.

Throughout her life, Rose overcame the odds and all that was stacked against her. She found the courage to follow her dreams. The only down side to this book was the ending. I wanted and felt that an epiloque was needed. I know Rose had an amazing future, but I wanted to read about the beautiful life she finally got to have.

Angela Jackson - Brown takes us readers on a journey in a part of America's history that I wish didn't need repeating and yet it does. Loudly.
Set in the 60's Jackson-Brown's story of a family trying to live a quiet and happy life in the deep south. They don't want to rock the boat in the their little home town because they know what the consequences will be. The father is trying to keep everyone safe while not worrying about any actions that will change the course of their lives.
Daughter Rose is the first to rock that boat when she arrives back home pregnant with another man's baby. As the story unfolds, younger sister Ellena gets involved with a new group that she is excited to say may just be the way to true freedom.
Beautifully penned, Jackson-Brown takes us on a troublesome journey. One with frankness and honesty that many of us don't know or remember. (Sadly) But we should all be learning from. Do yourself a favor and sit down and read any of Jackson-Brown's books. It will teach you something. It did me.