It’s 1960 and Rose has returned home to Parsons Georgia pregnant by a man that is not her husband. While her husband was at war overseas Rose had a moment of weakness that resulted in her having another mans baby. Just when Rose thinks her life is getting back to normal and she is able to forgive herself she experiences tragedy like she has never felt before. Afraid of losing their daughter Rose’s parents send her to Atlanta with her sister for a little while. While away Rose is introduced to members a nonviolent student group. Through this group Rose gets to know Isaac but more importantly she finds her passion and voice during a time black people are fighting for their civil rights.

The beginning of this book had me in tears. I went from judging Rose for sleeping with another man while her husband was away at war to boohoo crying for her. Poor Rose lost so much and all at one time. It was heartbreaking, one thing I loved about this book was Rose’s family. Everyone acknowledged Rose’s mistake, said what they had to say, and moved on from it. No one looked at her funny, chastised her, or even looked down on her. They accepted her mistake for what it was and moved forward as a family. I was glad Rose had such a loving family during her trying times. I was also glad to see Rose gave herself time to get through her loses and find herself and love again.

What infuriated me was the reminder of how Black people were treated in this country for fighting for rights we should have already had. It especially hurt my heart reading how Roses father masculinity was stripped away from him leaving him unable to stand up for or protect his family. I appreciated the various views on the civil rights movement within the Black community. Not everyone was on board, but I get it, these were scary times and some Black people were cautious of the repercussions the movement could cause them. This was agreat book to remind me of all my ancestors had to go through so I could have a right to vote as I headed to the polls on Tuesday morning. I enjoyed how Angela Jackson Brown put this story together and the historical facts and figures she gave us in this book.