Golden Poppies: A Novel —by Laila Ibrahim

 Fiction / Historical

297 pages / 2710 KB

5 stars

 

I read another of Ms. Ibrahim’s novels, Paper Wife, and loved it. Serendipity came with Golden Poppies. I had recently read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. and this novel fit right in with that book. I had not gone many pages before I realized this was the third book of a series. Having read the previous two first might have given me more back story, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will pick up the other two books and read them, but I didn’t find them necessary to enjoy this book. 

 

The story takes place primarily in Oakland CA in the 1890s about two families, one African American one European American. Prior to the Civil War, the white family owned the black family, the matriarch of the white family was raised by the matriarch of the black family and a strong bond developed between them, which was passed down to their families. I found this story engrossing and enjoyable. It offered me hope for our future, that all may yet discover we are connected by the web of life.

 

This book is not an apology for slavery, it does not paint a romantic picture of it. The white woman was a child, raised by the black ‘mammy’ and loved her more than she loved her own mother. She had not yet been taught to see black people as other than black people.

 

Highly recommend this book.