-
Access Our
Best Book Club
Books of 2025!
Summary | Discuss | Reviews | More Information | More Books
The daughter of an affluent Black family pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom in this moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake, a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick.
When ten-year-old Ebby Freeman heard the gunshot, time stopped. And when she saw her brother, Baz, lying on the floor surrounded by the shattered pieces of a centuries-old jar, life as Ebby knew it shattered as well.
The crime was never solved—and because the Freemans were one of the only Black families in a particularly well-to-do enclave of New England—the case has had an enduring, voyeuristic pull for the public. The last thing the Freemans want is another media frenzy splashing their family across the papers, but when Ebby's high profile romance falls apart without any explanation, that's exactly what they get.
So Ebby flees to France, only for her past to follow her there. And as she tries to process what's happened, she begins to think about the other loss her family suffered on that day eighteen years ago—the stoneware jar that had been in their family for generations, brought North by an enslaved ancestor. But little does she know that the handcrafted piece of pottery held more than just her family's history—it might also hold the key to unlocking her own future.
In this sweeping, evocative novel, Charmaine Wilkerson brings to life a multi-generational epic that examines how the past informs our present.
What are you reading this week? (3/12/2025)
...irens & Muses by Antonia Angress. And now I'm digging into https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/19873/good-dirt Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson.
-Ann_Beman
What book or books are you reading this week? (01/30/2025)
I'm reading and loving Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson and finally reading Pachinko by Min Jin Lee - great book! Im also starting Mythos by Stephen Fry. I've taken an interest in Greek Mythology. I never...
-user1
"[I]ncohesive...The novel poses intriguing questions about the nature of legacy and race relations, and though Wilkerson attempts to connect the plot's various strands...the pieces don't quite come together. Readers will be disappointed." —Publishers Weekly
"Much to admire, but half of what's here might have made for a more successful novel." —Kirkus Reviews
"A remarkable exploration of family bonds, grief, heartbreak, friendship, and the deep scars of slavery and racism, Good Dirt seamlessly links the tragedies and resilience of our past in a way that is both brilliantly resonant and heartbreakingly beautiful. Wilkerson's prose is succinct yet richly evocative, masterfully delving into the minds and motivations of her characters and delivering a narrative that lingers long after the final page ... This novel solidifies Wilkerson's place as one of the great multi-generational storytellers of our time." —Abi Daré, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice
"Charmaine Wilkerson is a writer of extraordinary gifts. She can capture the arc of a family story like none other. In Good Dirt, she does it again. This kaleidoscopic novel of love, loss, and triumph will sit with you for a long time after you finish the last page." —Dolen Perkins-Valdez, bestselling author of Take My Hand
"Good Dirt is a mystery that weaves together multigenerational strands of past and present trauma, from West Africa to Long Island, from the 1800s to the present. Written in glittering and discerning prose, poignant yet hopeful, Good Dirt is a masterful character study exploring the stories we inherit and how the past informs the present. I loved it." —Nikki May, author of Wahala and This Motherless Land
This information about Good Dirt was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Rochelle Cheever
Charmaine Wilkerson is an American writer who has lived in Jamaica and is based in Italy. A graduate of Barnard College and Stanford University, she is a former journalist whose award-winning short fiction has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Black Cake is her first novel.
The Original Daughter
by Jemimah Wei
A dazzling debut by Jemimah Wei about ambition, sisterhood, and family bonds in turn-of-the-millennium Singapore.
Serial Killer Games
by Kate Posey
A morbidly funny and emotionally resonant novel about the ways life—and love—can sneak up on us (no matter how much pepper spray we carry).
Ginseng Roots
by Craig Thompson
A new graphic memoir from the author of Blankets and Habibi about class, childhood labor, and Wisconsin’s ginseng industry.
Awake in the Floating City
by Susanna Kwan
A debut novel about an artist and a 130-year-old woman bound by love and memory in a future, flooded San Francisco.
A truly good book teaches me better than to read it...
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
