Homeward

A Novel

By: Angela Jackson-Brown

Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt

The country is changing, and her own world is being turned upside down. Nothing—and no one—will ever be the same.

Georgia, 1962. Rose Perkins Bourdon returns home to Parsons, GA, without her husband and pregnant with another man’s baby. After tragedy strikes her husband in the war overseas, a numb Rose is left with pieces of who she used to be and is forced to figure out what she is going to do with the rest of her life. Her sister introduces her to members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee—young people are taking risks and fighting battles Rose has only seen on television. Feeling emotions for the first time in what feels like forever, the excited and frightened Rose finds herself becoming increasingly involved in the resistance efforts. And of course, there is also the young man, Isaac Weinberg, whose passion for activism stirs something in her she didn’t think she would ever feel again.

Homeward follows Rose’s path toward self-discovery and growth as she becomes involved in the Civil Rights Movement, finally becoming the woman she has always dreamed of being.

Praise for Homeward:

"This is a harrowing novel about the push and pull of fidelity, family, and faith under the crush of history. Angela Jackson-Brown has written a deeply emotional novel that feels timeless while also speaking to the particularly troubled times in which we live."

—Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author of When Ghosts Come Home

• A stirring tale of one woman’s experience in the Civil Rights movement that changed a nation, written from Angela Jackson-Brown’s experience of being born and raised in the rural South.
• Stand-alone novel
• Includes Discussion Questions for book clubs

Critic reviews

'This is a harrowing novel about the push and pull of fidelity, family, and faith under the crush of history. Angela Jackson-Brown has written a deeply emotional novel that feels timeless while also speaking to the particularly troubled times in which we live.'

'In Homeward, Angela Jackson-Brown crafts a beautiful story of a young Black woman named Rose coming to realize she deserves so much more than what the world is offering. It's a powerful tale of love, loss, community, and finding your way through troubled times...Jackson-Brown has woven a story of grief and loss together with a tale of love and perseverance set amid the turmoil of the 1960s South. Throughout, she ably brings in historical elements to show what is -- and was -- possible when a community stands united.'

Angela Jackson-Brown does an excellent job of sharing Civil Rights history that may be little known to some readers, doing so in an engaging narrative . . . She provides a good character--young, searching, and smart--to represent Black Southerners and their journey to understand and accept the actions of and reactions to the Civil Rights movement. Accepting the movement's tenets meant reconciling it with their faith, and Homeward explores this sympathetically and effectively. A worthwhile read.

How strong Rose and her family was despite what they were faced with.

I like the way the story line was put together and how it held my attention to go to the next chapter.

Wow. I wish I could read this again for the first time.

This will likely be my favorite read of the year. It was so beautiful and heartbreaking. And rich. Very well done.

History of SNICK

Reader had wonderful command of each character. Really enjoyed this version of the story of the birth of civil rights in one city in Georgia. The family became my own and I felt every emotion-good, bad,happy or sad i cried real tears for Rose when tragedy struck and rejoiced when she became her own woman.
Very good read, highly recommended.

A Great Story

This book was so well written, and so captivating, thank you to the author for her great work. I would highly recommend this book.

Good Read!

What a beautifully written story with historical fiction woven throughout! I couldn’t put it down!