Good Dirt, Charmaine Wilkerson
Good Dirt, Charmaine Wilkerson
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Good Dirt

Author: Charmaine Wilkerson

Narrator: January LaVoy

Unabridged: 11 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/28/2025

Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • 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 bestselling author of Black Cake, a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick

“Engrossing . . . Wilkerson masterfully weaves these threads of love, loss and legacy [into] a thoroughly researched and beautifully imagined family saga.”—The New York Times

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.

About The Author

Charmaine Wilkerson is the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake, which was named a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick and adapted as a Hulu streaming series by Oprah Winfrey and Kapital Entertainment. She is an American writer who has lived in Jamaica and 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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by emma on May 05, 2025

it is truly unfortunate that everyone on earth is mad at me for the half-hearted joke i made about the cover of this book, because i liked it so much. while i love generational family sagas, i usually prefer that they follow time linearly — there's something about alternating perspectives that just g......more

Goodreads review by Nilufer on April 25, 2025

A tragedy reshapes the Freeman family's history, influencing their paths with the resulting perceptions, traumas, resentments, and redemptions that define their future. Ten-year-old Ebby Freeman only wanted to play hide and seek one last time with her brother, even though they were in a hurry to leav......more

Goodreads review by Camryn on January 13, 2025

Sigh… I hate to say it, but this book was a disappointing 2-star read. As some of you know, Black Cake was my favorite book of 2022, so naturally, I was thrilled when I saw Wilkerson had another release. Unfortunately, sophomore novels are tough—and this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. My bigge......more

Goodreads review by s.penkevich on March 18, 2025

Charmaine Wilkerson is an author who’s prose grabs you with one hand by the heart and the other by the throat and holds you to the pages until the very last word, unable to divert your attention and completely enthralled. Good Dirt, the authors second novel, is a heartwrenching exploration of histor......more

Goodreads review by emilybookedup on February 05, 2025

i enjoyed this so much—the author sure knows how to craft a captivating family drama 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 read if you like: generational stories, genre bending stories, multiple POVs and timelines, family drama, quick reads, books that grab you right away i also highly recommend this audiobook! the narrator was new......more

Quotes

“Engrossing . . . Wilkerson masterfully weaves these threads of love, loss and legacy through Old Mo’s journey as well as the ongoing mystery of Baz’s murder. The result is a thoroughly researched and beautifully imagined family saga, with a moving and hopeful ending.”—The New York Times​

“[A] moving sophomore novel . . . a multigenerational tale about a family haunted by tragedy.”—The Washington Post

“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

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