Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks
334 Pages
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Release Date: January 10, 2023
Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, 1950s, Racism, Segregation, Multicultural, Civil Rights, Alabama
Alice Young is alone in Alabama. Her father recently died, the landlord is making advances at her, and her sister left home heading to Chicago. She grabs what she can and heads to the bus station, but she only has enough money to get to Birmingham, Alabama. During the bus ride, she is sitting next to a man, and he encourages her to get off the bus at the rest stop to stretch her legs. She asks the shoeshine man where the Colored Only entrance is located. He tells her everyone uses the same doors around here. Segregation does not exist in New Jessup. Alice cannot believe her eyes. Here is a town where everyone looks like her and is treated equally. She believes she has found paradise and decides to stay for a while.
The book has a steady pace, the characters are well developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. Alice is a young woman who has been traumatized and likes everything about New Jessup. Unfortunately, others in the community believe change is good and are pushing for integration. She is a strong independent woman. This is an amazing look at segregation/integration from a different perspective. The author has a wonderful writing style that really makes the reader feel engaged and a part of the story. If you like or want to see a different perspective from a difficult time in American history, I definitely recommend you give this book a try.
