February is Black History Month and I have a trio of books I want to put on your radar.

Good Dirt, by Charmaine Wilkerson is a compelling multigenerational drama that explores the legacy of trauma, resilience, and the strength we draw from understanding our past. Ebby Freeman has just been jilted at the altar by her fiancé, and when a friend offers her a job as a caretaker of her French B&B, she jumps at the chance. But as we all know we can’t run away from our problems. Ebby will have to face her fears, come to terms with the mystery of her brother’s death which she witnessed as a child, and find her own path in life.

Harlem Rhapsody is an engrossing historical fiction, by Victoria Christopher Murray, which tells the story of Jessie Fauset the first ever Black female literary editor and is a writer herself. Jessie was a driving force behind the success of W.E.B. Du Bois’ literary ventures, and was responsible for birthing some of the greatest literary talents, such as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Jean Toomer, at the dawn of the Harlem Renaissance. It’s the story of an influential woman lost to history that deserves our recognition.

Death of the Author is a mindbending, genre blending, meta-fantasy written by the talented Nnedi Okorafor. Zelu finds herself at a crossroads when she is summarily fired from her university job and the novel she has been writing for 10 years is yet again rejected. With nothing to lose, she decides to write a novel like nothing she’s ever done before. The result, a best seller, Rusted Robots, set in a post-apocalyptic future populated by battling androids and sentient AI entities capable of infecting human minds. Things get interesting when the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.


Let me know if you plan to add something to your BHM TBR.

My thanks to the authors, @RandomHouse, @BerkleyPublishing, @RandomHouse, and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading these novels before their release.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced copy! My opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction set during the Harlem Renaissance that follows Jessie Fauset, the literary editor of a prominent black publication. I think the atmosphere of the 1910s in New York was excellent and I love learning about this time period, especially when black creatives and intellectuals are at the center.

Following Jessie as our main protagonist was great and she was easy to root for. She was hardworking, intelligent, and confident. I do think that too much time was spent on her romance with W.E.B. du Bois. While there was a lot going on, her dynamic with du Bois was one of the main elements for the first 75% of the book and it was sometimes frustrating to read so much about. I would’ve liked to have seen more development in other relationships in her life.

My favorite parts were the ones that displayed and dissected the misogynoir that black women were experiencing at the time. Jessie, despite her absolutely killing it at the paper she edits for, has to constantly deal with misogyny from her peers and other professionals, including du Bois himself. The discussions that Jessie had with other black writers and artists about their passions and the innovations they were making in the literary world for people of color were so compelling.

I think this would be an excellent book to learn about the literary landscape of the early 1900s for black Americans, but it probably wouldn’t provide much information for other aspects of the Harlem Renaissance or history during that period aside from brief references.

Harlem Rhapsody celebrates the achievements of Jessie Redmon Fauset, a brilliant woman at the center of the Harlem Renaissance that you may have never heard of. As the first Black woman literary editor of NAACP’s The Crisis magazine, Jessie was responsible for discovering many literary giants of the Harlem Renaissance. Victoria Christopher Murray does not shy away from some of the more difficult parts of Jessie’s story, like her tumultuous love affair with her married boss, W.E.B. Du Bois. Their relationship was a professional and personal one and without it, there may have been no literary section in The Crisis. W.E.B. Du Bois was a prolific writer and Civil Rights Activist, he was often traveling all over the country, and he left the management of the magazine in Jessie’s very capable hands.

I loved Jessie! My favorite part of this book was experiencing Jessie mentor Langston Hughes. It was amazing to see the inner workings of the magazine and what publishing industry was like in the 20’s. I do wish we spent a little more time with Jessie in scenes like these and less time with her personal relationship with W.E.B. Du Bois. Murray’s writing is so lush; all the details about the city of Harlem from the vibrant music to the exciting nightlife, I was completely immersed in the time. I am definitely adding The Personal Librarian to my TBR!

Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray
I really wanted to love this one but I didn’t.
It promised the story of Jessie Redmon Fassett, a remarkable woman that I was excited to learn about. The book seemed to emphasize an extramarital affair with WEB DuBois over her outstanding achievements in the literary world. I couldn’t emotionally connect with the book or its characters and after finishing the book, the affair and the connotation that her achievements were a result of the affair is what I am left to reflect on.
I really wish the author success and I applaud her for bringing another black historical figure to the attention of the world. I wish it had been more focused on her achievements and the great authors she interacted with.
I would like to Thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review and ARC of this novel. Overall rating : 2.5/5⭐

I loved this true story a lot of things that I did not know about the Harlem renaissance was told and told so beautifully. Just the to know how an African American woman who played such an intriquet role in that era was so timely.. Thank you Neutrally and publishers for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. running to the book store so I can add it to my bookshelf.

Loved how passionate Jessie was for her work and persevered through all the obstacles in her way. Her relationship with W.E.B. was difficult to watch, and even though she sometimes understood that it wasn't the best thing for her, she could not deny her feelings for him despite how he acted towards her. Despite that relationship, all the other characters were wonderful to get to know, and it was an enjoyable story.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc

Wow. This is another one of those stories that will be hard to put into words on how much I've enjoyed this story. At some point, I want to read it again and annotate and research ( and I don't really annotate my books). This story was extraordinary and very much well written. Many times I gave Jessie the side eye (and trust, Mr. Man was getting them as well.) and at other times, i felt sorry for her as well. And I also plan to look up her works as well. And the tea made it all that much more enjoyable and entertaining. Not surprisingly, this has turned into one of my favorite stories of this month and of the year

I received a copy of the book via the Publisher, Berkley Publishing Group as well as Hear Our Voices Book Tours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my thoughts and opinions

This historical fiction was a great way to kick off my reading fur #blackhistorymonth

Jessie Fauset is another one of those females whose achievements have been lost over the years. Author Victoria Christopher Murray sets out to share the life of this accomplished black woman who worked very closely with the infamous WEB Du Bois.

Jessie was the youngest in her family and determined to be a writer. Raised by her father and her white stepmother, she was encouraged to attend college and earn her degree. A chance letter to WEB Du Bois after her father’s death leads her to the job if her dreams: literary editor at the Crisis, a black run magazine.

Working closely with WEB Du Bois who runs the magazine turns into a long drawn out affair between the two but also propels Jessie into the limelight of the literary world, as she discovers Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Nella Larson, to name a few.

This was a fascinating story of a strong willed and determined black woman, during a time when racism and sexism was strong. I loved learning about her and other literary characters from history. I wish there hadn’t been such a strong emphasis on her affair with Du Bois but otherwise, I really enjoyed this novel.

Thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub for an advance digital copy of this novel.

I went into this not realizing (which is totally my bad) that this is a fictionalized story based on a real person. While I feel like this taught me a lot about Jessie Faucet and her life working for The Crisis, this isn't the type of story I normally pick up and I found it almost agonizingly slow. There just wasn't much to push the story forward and keep me wanting to keep reading.
I think there are a lot of people who this book would be perfect for it's just not me.

I love when I can learn about subjects I know very little about through fiction. This was a fascinating look at the Harlem Renaissance and the various players involved. What might have come off as dry research is brought to life by Murray’s writing and the characters leap of the page, giving us much insight into the life of Jessie Redmon Fauset ad her relationships with the many writers of the era. I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at a literary magazine’s management and have found a few authors I want to learn more about. Highly recommended!

Prior to reading this book, if you had asked me about the Harlem Renaissance, I probably would have only been able to come up with Langston Hughes. That was the extent of my memory/learning as a White child who went to school in the 1980s and 90s. I’m glad for the opportunity to have learned more about other important Black artists and leaders during that time, especially Jessie Redmon Fauset, who was incredibly impressive.

That being said, the book itself was a bit of a slow read. I was initially pretty frustrated with the focus on the affair between Jessie and W.E.B. DuBois, and it took me a while into the book to just accept it as part of the story. As the author implied in her note, people who we see as historical figures and remember for their accomplishments were actually full, complicated humans who made human mistakes. Those were depicted well here.

I wish there had been a bit more plot in the story to keep things moving more quickly. There were a lot of characters mentioned by full name who had no role or a very limited role in the story. I realize that the author probably wanted to make sure she included those important figures of the Harlem Renaissance, but it felt a little overwhelming.

Overall, I would recommend this as a true historical fiction book - not necessarily a super enjoyable reading experience, but definitely a great learning experience.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Harlem Rhapsody is more than the New York Times best-selling author, Victoria Christopher Murray’s latest work of historical fiction. It’s a passion project. The book opens with Jessie Redmon Fauset’s arrival in New York in 1919 to become the Literary Editor of the NAACP magazine, The Crisis. Her bonus mother agreed to accompany her to the big city. In the opening pages it is evident that she and Dr. W.E.B Dubois share a special relationship that her bonus mother does not like due to their age difference, and the fact that he is a married man.

In addition to Fauset and Dr. Dubois’ professional and personal relationship, Ms. Murray explores Miss Fauset’s mentorships of young poets and authors and how she is a critical figure at the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance. She edited the works of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Jean Toomer, just to name a few. Ms. Murray eloquently captures what could have been the burdens that have been placed on the characters’ shoulders like Langston Hughes balancing his passion vs. the education and career his father has selected for him. She also captures the frustrations that Sadie Tanner Mossell must have experienced by having her PhD, but not able to find a suitable position that matched her education. We learn about how important Miss Fauset was, not only to The Crisis and the NAACP, but to the entire creative community.

Writing about Ms. Fauset and Dr. Dubois’ affair could be considered a difficult topic to explore. It is, however, historically accurate by many accounts. An interesting and ironic concept is how Ms. Fauset came to know Dr. Dubois’ work. She received The Souls of Black Folk from her father when she was in college and would often discuss books with him. Her relationship with Dr. Dubois started out in a similar way and evolved from there. Facts anchor this fictional story. Ms. Murray addresses the atrocities of lynching, the Tulsa massacre and Rosewood. She also captures key events during the time, like the important speech that Fauset gave at the League of Nations on behalf of the NAACP and her becoming an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta. There were interesting debates throughout the story about what is considered progress and the different ways that black people viewed themselves. I thoroughly enjoyed Harlem Rhapsody and how Ms. Murray used music from the period and the lines from her mentees poems to breathe life into this amazing story. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of a review.

This is very interesting Book.. About a woman named j e s s I e s. She was a teacher in DC and moved up to New York City to work. At magazine call the Cris I. E! S which was founded by W.E!BDUBOI.S She also helped a lot of the Harlem. Renaissance Riders, we're just beginning their career. She fell in love with The editor of the magazine. He was married but he really loves J Jes Sr. E! Yes.. This is a really interesting book now.She also published as well. It was a really interesting insight and how they wanted about their business. They are also part of the congress of the EFR Ica. Who met in london and brussels in the nineteen twenties. This one was really fascinating because she was these people who really understood and try to get their publishing out to the world. For Black voice. How's the child? She always would look to white magazines. I'm sure wonder why I couldn't be I n t h e m. The author did an amazing job but the script because of the research was so interesting. How she tied all this together and a very interesting way.. It's interesting at this time because they were educated and wanted to be heard Through the music writing and painting The author wrote this book like a romantic but I had a very historical background two
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I was thrilled to get an early copy of Harlem Rhapsody, a fictionalized biography of Jessie Redmon Fauset, who was called the "literary midwife" of the Harlem Renaissance by Langston Hughes. I didn't know anything about Redmon Fauset's life and influence before reading this fascinating book, and I'm so thankful that author Victoria Christopher Murray's work will help a new generation learn about an amazing woman. Jessie Redmon Fauset was a teacher, a writer, and while serving as the literary editor for The Crisis magazine, she discovered, nurtured, and published the works of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Jean Toomer. She also had a long romantic relationship with W.E.B. Du Bois, who despite his historical reputation as a brilliant thinker, seemed to be somewhat of a womanizing jerk. I absolutely loved reading the interactions between Jessie and the literary all-stars of the time period; Murray did such a fabulous job bringing this time period to life. At times it was difficult to read about Jessie and W.E.B., though, and I kept getting frustrated with her decisions. How could this misogynistic snob be so captivating? But the book ends on a satisfying note, and I can't wait to read more by this author. Highly recommended for fans of books about literature and historical fiction. Thanks to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and author Victoria Christopher Murray for the librarian preview copy.

Harlem Rhapsody introduces us to Jessie Redmon Fauset, a woman that I sadly not heard of before despite her many accomplishments. Jessie was the literary editor of a magazine called The Crisis in the 1920s, where she highlighted poetry and stories from the Black community. Many familiar names come up, such as poet Langston Hughes and editor and activist W.E.B. DuBois.

I enjoyed reading about the Harlem renaissance and how essential Fauset was in many of these poets and authors being published and becoming well-known for their writing. Seeing behind the scenes of the magazine was fascinating, and those were my favorite parts of the book.

Jessie's romantic entanglement with DuBois, a married man and father, is another main focus of the story. Fauset was well aware of DuBois' wife, even lunching with her at times, which was a bit hard for me to square away with the other parts of her character.

Thank you to Berkley for the gifted ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is likely to become one of my favorite books of the year. While I typically don't gravitate towards historical fiction, the Harlem Renaissance has a way of captivating me. It's arguably my favorite era, and VCM did an excellent job telling Jessie's story. I was introduced to the Harlem Renaissance during elementary school, yet I must admit I had never heard of Jessie before. It's particularly frustrating, given her significant contributions to the Renaissance and its most influential writers, as well as her own remarkable journey.

Fictionalized story of Jessie Redmon Faucet, her career as editor and author. Also covers her professional and personal relationship with W.E.B. DuBois. Very good, informative on little=known history.

Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray
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It’s 1919 and Jessie has moved to Harlem to be the new literary editor of the magazine The Crisis. Her goal is to uplift black writers as well as work on her first novel, but being in Harlem also allows her to be closer to the man she is having an affair with: the legendary W.E.B. Du Bois….her boss.
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What I liked:
-I loved learning more about the people in this time period. I have read W.E.B.’s name but knew nothing about him. Sadly I had never even heard of Jessie’s name and I am so grateful to have learned more about her.
-I can imagine that infidelity is a delicate topic and I appreciate that the author didn’t skirt around it. I was very frustrated with some of the choices that Jessie made in this story. The Authors note helped me a lot with seeing the whole picture.
-The passion that Jessie had for writing and for the writers she met was inspiring. I loved reading about how she encouraged these young authors and helped them.
-I gotta say how much I respected Jessie’s maman, Bella Fauset. She loved and supported Jessie but also stood her ground for not condoning where she didn’t agree with her. Loved Bella.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was an excellent book and I loved the phrase used to describe Jessie as “the midwife of the movement.”

Happy Pub Day 🥳


When I tell yall this book is TEA !!! Me and historical fiction go to together REAL BAD. I have not read one this good in a while. The writing in this was stellar!!

We meet Jessie who's a literary editor, writer, & a poet. Now the real TEA that everyone is chatting about with WEB Du Bois, I don't not think it overshadows the real accomplishments in the book. I leaned so much reading this.

I think this will be in my top reads of the year !! GO READ IT.

Ohh & I loved Miss Georgia down 😂!!!

Thank you to Netgalley & Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC

As a historical fiction girlie, this book did what it needed to do! I was captivated from the beginning with my introduction to Miss Jessie Redmon Fauset. I had no idea of her integral role in the Harlem Renaissance. I thought I knew a lot about Dr. W.E.B. DuBois and my beloved NAACP but this book taught me a lot about his personal life. I will say I definitely kept reminding myself that this is a work of fiction based on true relationships and events but it is still is fiction. Murray’s spin on Fauset’s story had me amused and pissed off the entire time! I googled pictures of DuBois and stared at them trying to imagine how this one man could cause such chaos and confusion. 🤨 I still don’t understand but it definitely made for a hell of a story! One of the most emotional moments for me was when Jessie gave that riveting speech in Brussels. She talked about educated black women being disqualified from positions despite achieving the highest degree, the PhD. Unfortunately, over one hundred years later that still rings true for some. As a black woman with a doctorate, it has happened to me and my colleagues. We have made so much progress in some areas while there are great steps to be taken in others. One thing is for sure is that Jessie Redmon Fauset’s influence will still be felt in literature for ages to come. She surely has influenced my TBR!

Thank you to Berkley Pub, Hear Our Voices Tours for my ARC, ALC, and my finished copy! I can’t wait to see @victoriachristophermurray on tour in March!