A beautiful story about a Southern Black family in the 90s. I cannot even believe this is a debut novel!

Some individuals are blessed with the awareness of their family history, their genealogy, and their sense of belonging in society. Others, like Mika Tabor, the young Black girl who is portrayed in Délana R.A. Dameron’s debut novel, Redwood Court, are at a loss to describe where their people came from. When her class is assigned a project to list their ancestors and country of origin, young Mika gets little help from her elders. No one really knows what part of Africa their blood relatives came from. Grandma Louise “Weesie” Bolton Mosby and Grandpa James “Teeta” Mosby, the matriarch and patriarch of the family, lived through the Jim Crow era. Now they live in a neighborhood called Redwood Court.

They live in Columbia, South Carolina. Mika is the daughter of their first daughter Rhina and her husband Thomas “Major” Tabor. Note that both Teeta and Major served in the military; despite this, they are still second-class citizens – because of the color of their skin. Mika has an older sister, and there are assorted other relatives mentioned throughout the book. Mika loves the time she spends at Redwood Court learning to ride her bike and spending time with Teeta. I loved watching her grow and blossom into a teenager.

Initially, the narrative seems to jump around a bit while establishing the characters; eventually it settles into a rhythm; it’s like Mika’s diary with some sections more appealing than others. What I loved was the dialect, which is rich and real, and it brings the characters to life. Weesie, who loves gossiping on the phone, and Teeta, who cherishes his younger granddaughter, and she adores him. In so many ways, Ms. Dameron illustrates the chasm between the races, the haves and the have-nots. There is a chapter in which a newly found relative is visiting, and a group of the women are playing spades. Cousin Daisy talks about ‘the ghetto’ and how whites use it to keep blacks in their place. She uses the term “ghetto” to refer to where Blacks live, even though it may be comfortable, and they consider it their own piece of paradise, like Redwood Court. People have ‘jobs’ - even though they may be menial, poor-paying jobs – their employment does not compare to what white people have, but whites figure it’s enough to keep Blacks “happy.”

And yet, as the book draws to a close, the family appears to be happy. They have one another. They love one another, support one another, through hard times, through good times. Redwood Court is a coming-of-age story. It’s a story about family – immediate family, ancestral family, and the human family.

I received a digital copy of Redwood Court in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, The Dial Press, and Délana R.A. Dameron.

4 stars

Redwood Court reminded me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: the story of a girl growing up, set in a particular time and place and culture, but universal in its appeal and wisdom.

The time is the 1990s. The place is Columbia, Georgia. Redwood Court is home to Mika’s grandparents, who proudly purchased the suburban home in the 1960s. It was an achievement of having ‘made it.’ Mika adores her grandfather Teeta, the heart of the family. Her grandmother Weesie shaped the street into a community of mutual support. As Mika’s parents both work, she spends summers with her grandparents.

The novel begins with a homework project Mika is struggling over. She is tasked to trace her family history, but as African Americans, discovering their roots is unlikely. Teeta tells Mika that it’s her job to preserve their stories for the future. And the entire book tells their story, past and present, from the grandparent’s remarkable love story to her uncle’s incarceration. Mika spends time with the women, listening, learning.

This unforgettable family has its joys and losses, holds on to hope and faces the cruel reality of racism. It’s a wonderful debut novel and I look forward to hearing more from this writer.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

Thank you to netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, The Dial Press for allowing me to read the incredible book. I enjoyed this book so much. This book took you on a amazing journey of self learning and learning the history of this family.

I love a family saga…especially one set in the south. While this is a very good read I did struggle as others said with so many characters and so many points of view. I did appreciate the character listings at the beginning of the book but found myself referring back to the list too often which made the read more tedious.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this character-rich family saga meets coming of age story. The setting of the South in a black community was well-written.

This was an incredible debut. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Redwood Court is a family saga about a black family in South Carolina, covering three decades of family life. Weesie and Teeta move into Redwood Court soon after the Korean War. Segregation is still a given, with Jim Crow laws in place. Weesie is determined to make the neighborhood a caring community, where everyone is looked after.
The story is told from multiple POVs. At times, it was hard to keep up with who was related to whom. (Dameron was smart to include a list of characters at the beginning of the book.). The book eventually moves on to be primarily from Mika’s PoV in the 1990s.
This isn’t a fast paced story or one in which a lot happens. The strength of the book relies on the beautiful writing. It’s a character rich story of the American Dream. It’s a story where it’s the small intimate events that matter most - taking a dying man out to fish, the breaking of a jewelry box. But what really drew me to the book was the love between the family members. It left me with a real feeling of warmth.
There’s an underlying theme of genealogy - of not being able to trace back generations like white people take for granted. It was this theme that consistently hit home for me.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

Genealogical research only works if there’s documentation. What happens when it’s impossible to find history from one's third or fourth great grandparents? Mika, a Black girl, has a school assignment to document her ancestors and asks her Grandpa Teeta for help. He said he didn't know about the far past but he added, “You have all these stories inside you.” He tells her to write them down and that’s what she does.

This is a heart-warming coming of age story that reads like a memoir. It’s a series of random events that happened on Redwood Court, a suburb in Columbia, SC. She starts with a list of characters which is helpful.

Mika is a girl we’d all like to hug. She recalled memories that have evolved from her childhood until she turned 16 years old. Some of the topics are how Mika's grandparents met, the Korean war, a Disney vacation, living near gangs, women’s issues and most of all, the love of their family. My favorite person was Teeta with everything he had to say. “You can’t escape genes.”

The stories that are told help us understand what it was like for a Black family in the South from 1968 to 2000. It takes us back briefly to when the ancestors lived on plantations as slaves. Some of the chapters were more interesting to me than others but she gave readers a realistic view of their lives. It would make a good book club discussion.

My thanks to The Dial Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 6, 2024.

This coming of age story set in the 90s was a nice departure from most of the other books I’ve read in this genre. That being said, although I enjoy a family saga, this one was hard to get into, as there were so many characters to keep track of. It was often hard to tell which person and/or POV the story was being told by.

Redwood Court is a captivating story of family relationships of a Black family in South Carolina. Through the eyes of family members, the novel threads together the stories of their lives, loves, and losses.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Redwood Court" is a charming but powerful novel about a black family living in 1990s South Carolina. Told mostly from the view of the youngest daughter Mika, this novel is both a coming-of-age story and a family drama. Its characters grapple with real-world trials and the characters are vibrantly alive and realistic. At times achingly intimate, this portrait of a family completely captivated me and its characters will stick with me for some time. The author's writing style is perfect for the tone of the book; this book is very well-written, especially for a debut. I think this book will be popular with book clubs.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this lovely book.

"Redwood Court" by DeLana R.A. Dameron beautifully depicts the resilience of a Black working-class community in Columbia, South Carolina. The story revolves around Mika Tabor, growing up in the tight-knit Redwood Court. It introduces a range of memorable characters, delving into Mika's family dynamics, especially her hardworking parents and her sister's search for identity amid Motown melodies.
Dameron excels in bringing Redwood Court's residents to life with vivid portrayals, exploring family ties and intergenerational relationships. The novel's focus on community strength and the pursuit of a better future resonates deeply. While the book's character-driven plot and themes are touching, some may find the pacing slow. Nonetheless, "Redwood Court" remains a gem and comes highly recommended.

This coming of age story is captivating from beginning to end. The author captured the feelings and thoughts of Mika perfectly where you understand her viewpoint and those of the other characters. Loved the bond Mika shared with Teeta then later with Weesie. Teeta’s death had me crying. It was sad yet inspired me to make sure I’m present to create memories with my family especially older generations.

The author's tale is one which gave me a good understanding of growing up Black in this country. The book follows several generations of a family as they struggle to raise their offspring with the hope that each generation will achieve more than the last one. A good read.

Taken to a part of the 90’s I existed in, but wasn’t a part of. This was about the journey. The beginning is a little confusing with the timelines, otherwise a well written coming of age story.

Absolutely love the cover!
Thanks for the advanced copy.

I received this book from Penguin Random House to give a fair & honest review.

I like family sagas & I also like coming of age books & this was both. The era of the story, mainly from the 60's -90's was a time filled with many changes & especially in the black community. Most of the story takes place in Columbia, SC & mostly in the neighborhood of Redwood Court. There are many characters, mostly family members near & far & also friends, neighbors etc. At times it was very hard to keep up with everyone even with a list of characters in the front of the book.

What I had to hardest part with was which person & POV the story was being told by. This dramatically slowed my reading down & is the reason I gave it a 3 star VS a 4 star. Overall there were parts I really liked.

4 stars
An absolutely stunning book of a woman learning and trying to be "SEEN". I have never read this author before but her descriptions and ability to pull the reader into the story is phenomenal.

For the first 15 or 20 pages I did have trouble getting into the book, "Redwood Court". But, I quickly got into the rhythm of the writing and the beauty of the stories of a family living an "ordinary" life in ordinary circumstances. And oh what a storyteller Ms. Cameron is! I am so glad I stuck with the language of her people as they interacted with one another, in the rural, Columbia, South Carolina town, where the story takes place.

I loved the interactions of the characters and the love the family members felt for one another; even when they found the circumstances exasperating. One can't help wishing they were part of this terrific family. Especially, when you learn that Ms. Decameron is telling of her own life experiences, and realize that all the characters are based on real people who are members of her own family.

I stuck with it, I loved it. And I highly recommend, "Redwood Court".

Wow what a heartbreaking and breathtaking book. I sobbed through this but finished feeling powerful, understood and respected. 10/10 recommend.

A family saga growing up in a Black neighborhood in the 90's. Family relationships as witnessed by the family's youngest child make this a compelling read.