Under the Tulip Tree by Michelle ShockleeMy rating: 💛💛💛💛
This was a beautiful but very difficult book to read.
The story about Frankie’s life was so difficult to read, so many challenges she had to overcome, so many heartbreaks and it is difficult to see how slaves were treated.
That was not a pretty part of history, but I appreciate books like these which do not shy away from hard truths but tells it in a way which still delivers beauty and hope.
Lorena grew from a pampered naïve girl to a well-informed young lady who learned to fight for those looked over and easily ignored.
*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*
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About the book:
Sixteen-year-old Lorena Leland's dreams of a rich and fulfilling life as a writer are dashed when the stock market crashes in 1929. Seven years into the Great Depression, Rena's banker father has retreated into the bottle, her sister is married to a lazy charlatan and gambler, and Rena is an unemployed newspaper reporter. Eager for any writing job, Rena accepts a position interviewing former slaves for the Federal Writers' Project. There, she meets Frankie Washington, a 101-year-old woman whose honest yet tragic past captivates Rena.
As Frankie recounts her life as a slave, Rena is horrified to learn of all the older woman has endured--especially because Rena's ancestors owned slaves. While Frankie's story challenges Rena's preconceptions about slavery, it also connects the two women whose lives are otherwise separated by age, race, and circumstances. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?
As Frankie recounts her life as a slave, Rena is horrified to learn of all the older woman has endured--especially because Rena's ancestors owned slaves. While Frankie's story challenges Rena's preconceptions about slavery, it also connects the two women whose lives are otherwise separated by age, race, and circumstances. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?
About the author:
Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including UNDER THE TULIP TREE, a Christy
Awards & Selah Awards finalist. As a woman of mixed heritage--her father's family is Hispanic and her mother's roots go back to Germany--she has always celebrated diversity and feels it's important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction.
UNDER THE TULIP TREE is set in 1930s & 1860s Nashville and tells a story of unlikely friendship, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Based on extensive research into the Federal Writers' Project Slave Narratives of 1936, as well as the writings of Frederick Douglass and others, many scenes in UNDER THE TULIP TREE are taken directly from the pages of history. Library Journal gave UNDER THE TULIP TREE a starred review.
With both her sons grown, Michelle and her husband now make their home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about in her new book COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS, a time-slip story set during the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition.
Awards & Selah Awards finalist. As a woman of mixed heritage--her father's family is Hispanic and her mother's roots go back to Germany--she has always celebrated diversity and feels it's important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction.
UNDER THE TULIP TREE is set in 1930s & 1860s Nashville and tells a story of unlikely friendship, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Based on extensive research into the Federal Writers' Project Slave Narratives of 1936, as well as the writings of Frederick Douglass and others, many scenes in UNDER THE TULIP TREE are taken directly from the pages of history. Library Journal gave UNDER THE TULIP TREE a starred review.
With both her sons grown, Michelle and her husband now make their home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about in her new book COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS, a time-slip story set during the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition.
I can just imagine how difficult this is to read. It sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteReally worth the read!
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