Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. This nonfiction book broke my heart. It is the true story of two brothers taken by the circus and of the mother that tried to get them back. It was very well researched. I will be recommending this book!

I struggled through Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South. Besides having about the longest subtitle of all time, this was an interesting topic for nonfiction (two albino black boys kidnapped by the circus at the turn of the 20th century) that ultimately lacked enough focus to gel in any coherent way.

The subtitle of TRUEVINE is “Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South.” So, of course, I expected to read the story of one mother’s quest to find her kidnapped sons. However, shortly into the first chapter, I realized that the book goes far beyond its subtitle.

TRUEVINE revolves around the lives of George and Wille Muse --- aka Sheep-Headed Cannibals, Ecuadorian white savages, and Eko and Iko, the Ambassadors from Mars. George and Willie were albinos, African Americans who were born to a sharecropper family and worked on a sweltering tobacco farm in the Jim Crow South town of Truevine, Virginia. One day, a white man offered the two boys a piece of candy. This singular act led to their abduction, and they were forced to work beside other “freaks” in different circuses, most notably the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The Muse brothers are not the only protagonists here, though. TRUEVINE introduces readers to Harriet Muse, the boys’ mother, who was determined to get them back safe and sound. We also learn about those who ran the circuses and worked in sideshow attractions alongside George and Willie. The book uncovers a magnificent and horrific world of people with different forms of disabilities who somehow managed to find a sanctuary in circuses. Full review available at: https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/truevine-two-brothers-a-kidnapping-and-a-mothers-quest-a-true-story-of-the-jim-crow-south

I truly got lost in this book. I read about this story earlier this year and was so excited to receive a copy. I was fascinated by the details of this case which is almost to incredible to be true . George and Willie being stolen from the fields is an incredible premise for a fascinating story. The research that went on to write this novel is apparent at every turn as Macy reveald details about the way that albinos were treated in the deep south in the era of the KKK and segregation. Being treated like a pair of 'sideshow freaks' is a very upsetting thing to read about - but this was treated sensitively and with much insight to the situation and its effect on the boys. The many coincidences that contribute to tis story's resonance also kept me fascinated and turning the pages late into the night. The fact that their mother left no stone unturned to be reunited with her lost boys is truly heartbreaking and Beth Macy brings her indomitable courage and persistence most vividly to life. I loved this book - it was even better ten I'd anticipated and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in civil rights; american history; mysteries and strange tales and familyhistory. It's odd, moving and stays in your mind for a long time after its resolution. Read it now!