A beautiful story that spans generations and introduces us to the Freeman’s. It is both sad and hopeful, filled with both past and present trauma , while still moving and inspiring. I like dual timelines and getting to know the back stories of the family. This story does a good job of exploring grief, trauma, mental health, racism, bravery and other things in a way that I think everyone could benefit from.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this amazing novel. Wilkerson takes you through generations as she weaves history, family drama and love into one incredible story. You will be captured by the characters in the first chapter. Her writing give color and depth to every party of the story. This book leaves you wanting to read everything Wilkerson writes!

3.5 rounded up. I was super excited for Charmaine Wilkerson’s second novel because I adored Black Cake. Good Dirt takes a similar structure - with dual timelines and an exploration of multiple generations of a family - but some parts of the story fell a bit flat for me.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

So. Black Cake is one of my favorite books of the last DECADE. My bar was very high.

The prose in this book is striking, and the research is beyond methodical. It reminds me of Homegoing… possibly my #1 favorite book of all time. I couldn’t help but read Good Dirt with a comparative lens at every turn.

I deeply cared about these characters, and my heart ached for their history. But the current day storyline really faltered. There were a lot of loose ends, and a lack of accountability to the people who deserved to pay. The dialogue in a couple chapters felt unnecessarily rushed, especially near the end where wordy explanations took over. A lot of telling instead of showing — which was a stark departure from most of the book.

Again, I may be being picky. I expected perfection and didn’t get it. It was still a really good read and I hope others will read and learn.


Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an early copy! I’m so happy to live in the same timeline as Charmaine Wilkerson.

Thank you Random House Publishing- Ballantine and Net Galley for a digital ARC of Good Dirt!

Good Dirt is a beautifully crafted story about tragedy, trauma, grief, family, healing and forgiveness. It focuses primarily on Ebby, a child who was at home with her older brother when there is an attempted burglary of a family heirloom. Her brother is killed during the bungled burglary, and Ebby is photographed in this grief-ridden moment. To further complicate things, Ebby's family is part of the New England black elite, and her brother, Baz's, unsolved murder shines an unwanted spotlight on the family that follows them for years.

This story opens 19 years after Baz's death, and Ebby is essentially left at the alter on her wedding day. It goes on to detail not only Ebby's struggles with her brother's death, but also her parents and the impact that it has had on them over time.

Ebby is the main character per se. However, there is another main character: the family heirloom, a jar made by an enslaved potter in South Carolina. As such, this story traces the journey of the jar. By tracing the jar's "life", this story also chronicles Ebby's family history and their climb to black elitism.

The writing, the characters, the history, was so riveting. I had a hard time putting this book down to work, eat, sleep, etc. There were particularly moving chapters near the end. If someone were to ask me "what is one book that you wish you could read for the first time again?" I would say GOOD DIRT. I am pre-ordering this book, and I will be gifting this book to friends and family next year. In the meantime, I'm doubling back to read Black Cake.

This is a heartbreaking story from the start, of family, of love and loss, but it is also a story of healing. A story of multiple generations of family, and what they’ve endured, individually and collectively. A story that begins in the era of slave trading, and follows the family over time, into a more present time.

This story revolves largely around Ebby Freeman, who was a ten year old girl when her life changed. Her older brother was murdered in their home by two men, who were not aware of her presence. In the days that followed, the story of their family’s loss was on the news everywhere.

Years later, Ebby’s fiance abandons her at the altar, and soon after she leaves to find a place where no one knows her, and so she heads to France, to temporarily be the caretaker for the cottage, knowing that no one there will know her, look at her the way that others do, with pity.

A story that weaves together the stories shared over time and generations of family, trauma, loss, legacies, and love.


Pub Date: 28 Jan 2025


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Ballantine Books

If you liked Black Cake, you’ll like this one as well.
Good Dirt goes back and forth in time focusing on Ebby in present time and how witnessing her brother’s murder as a young girl has had an effect on her. It also tells the story of Ebby’s family from slavery to present day. I was invested in all the story lines.

Charmaine Wilkerson's newest novel is a triumph. This story crosses oceans and timelines ultimately focusing on how tragedy shapes who we become. Ebby Freeman, the story's protagonist, was ten years old when her older brother was murdered in their home. During the home invasion, a priceless family heirloom was destroyed. This horrific event thrusts the family into the spotlight they never wanted. Now, as an adult, her family is once again the object of scrutiny when Ebby's fiancee leaves her at the altar.. In an effort to collect the pieces of her life and put herself back together Ebby escapes to France. There she must recon with her past in order to secure her future.

"History is a collective phenomenon. It can only be told through a chorus of voices. And that chorus must make room for new voices over time."

This book was incredible. It deals with grief, generational trauma, and forgiving yourself in such a beautiful and engaging way. It is an incredible example of how our past impacts the present and all stories are valid and important to history.

4.5⭐️Charmaine Wilkerson delivers another outstanding novel. This is a truly multi-generational drama going back to when the main character’s ancestors were enslaved and their ensuing freedom. The novel explores how their stories were passed down and the family heirloom at the center of it all. It was enlightening to learn about the role of pottery and seafaring in the Black experience. I especially loved the MC’s parents and grandparents. Publishes in January. But in meantime, if you haven’t read her previous book Black Cake, I highly recommend.

I picked this up expecting some sort of mystery, a whodunnit. This was NOT that, although my detective persona was satisfied by the end. I really enjoyed this story. Ebby is such a likable and relatable character. Her grief and trauma is near perfectly explained. I really liked the multiple timelines and multiple points of view. I haven’t read Black Cake yet, but I’m moving it up on the TBR! 10/10 recommend!

What a ride. This book is a beautifully woven tapestry of generational stories, experiencing trauma, racial reckoning, family, romantic relationships, and the legacies we leave behind. I will be thinking about this book for a very long time! Can't wait for the release so I can choose it for the historical fiction book club that I host, I'm sure it will spark a really terrific conversation!

Charmaine is officially an auto buy author for me. Black cake was beautifully done and it’s one of the first book to movies that I thought was done perfectly. I went into Good dirt blindly but it worked in my favor. It’s another generational book that both educates you on family and culture, alittle bit of romance, lots of scandal and lots of characters. I found myself getting lost as we got deeper into the family history but in true Charmaine nature she pulled it all together greatly. Def recommend.

Instagram: @chyannediaries 1/28/2025
Goodreads: Chyanne Diaries: 9/1/2024


This was a book that I read that was not what I expected it to be. Maybe it was because I had not read the entire blurb of the novel but I wanted more. I wish we knew more of the brother’s death and who was responsible for it. But I think that was suppose to add to the plot. But the main theme that stood out for me was grief. This family held on to that grief for years and it was causing a strain on them. Yes, I believe that grief is different for everyone as I’ve seen and experienced it, but them not addressing it just followed them for years. There was no happiness in that. Also, I did not see the point in Avery’s POV and character. She was good for her part but she was not needed as much as Wilkerson put her in. But, oh well. It was a decent read nonetheless.

Charmaine Wilkerson declared herself as one to watch with her debut novel, Black Cake, and I think her second novel, Good Dirt, is even better! Wilkerson has a wonderful way of weaving fiction and history and I look forward to reading her next book.

The Freemans are an affluent Black family that move into an exclusively white, high-brow enclave. This automatically makes them very visible to the community. When the Freemans become victims of a home invasion this puts them in the national spotlight. Ebby, only 10 years old at the time, is devastated when her 14 year old brother is shot and killed. Ebbie hid in the house and has never been able to talk about what happened. This has impacted her whole life from media visibility to psychological and emotional issues. These issues are awakened when Ebbie is stood up at her marriage ceremony by a well-known white man. Knowing this will become a media frenzy, reigniting the memories of the home invasion, Ebby flees to France and her friend, Hannah. As Ebby tries to cope with the happenings of her life, a second story is brought in. Alternating chapters tell the original story of the Freemans from being slave trafficked to freedom. Both time lines are completely separate and easy to switch between.
Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the complimentary digital ARC. This review is my own opinion, in my own words.

This was a beautifully written books that explores a family’s history through multiple time periods, multiple voices, and by following an heirloom stoneware jar named Old Mo.

The book explores trauma, slavery, racism, mental health, and the impact our history on our futures. It is not a fast read, but it is a meaningful read, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and the author for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date 01/28/2025

"This is the story of our family, Baz once told her. And their mom, who’d overheard him, said, That’s true, Baz, but not only. Because our history is everyone’s history. Our history is American history."

When I was in college, I took a class on African American history and wrote a paper about the tradition and art of quilting - the familial stories that quilts told and passed on through generations. "Good Dirt" is a powerful novel about six generations of the Freeman family, all connected by a 20-gallon clay jar that serves as a vessel of their stories—stories that encompass enslavement, tragedy, affluence, and collective healing.

At the heart of the novel is Ebby, who as a child witnessed the tragic death of her brother. In the present day, she finds herself left at the wedding altar, grappling with how to reclaim her life. Wilkerson expertly shifts between the perspectives of various characters, from those who were stolen and enslaved to those who escaped, and from Ebby's parents and grandparents to others connected to the family's history. The clay pot, known as "Old Mo," becomes a symbol of survival, made under forced labor but bearing a literal hidden message that resonates through time.

Wilkerson weaves these complex stories with skill and depth, creating a narrative that is both intricate and moving. I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of this book, which is set to be published in January. I highly recommend adding "Good Dirt" to your 2025 reading list.
#GoodDirt #NetGalley

I was SO EXCITED to get this ARC because I really liked Wilkerson's novel "Black Cake"! Even though my expectations were high, "Good Dirt" did not disappoint! Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. The characters were so engaging and I was invested in finding out what happened to them. Following multiple timelines and seeing the impact of family stories & trauma through generations was so well done. I also love how there was so much suspense built around the 5 words in the bottom of the jar and I cried at the end when it was revealed. Well, I cried several times throughout because I was drawn into the emotions of the characters.

Charmaine Wilkerson has created another dynamic and compelling novel about the life of a modern Black woman, her family, and their long history. She toggles between modern day, and many centuries past, connecting all the stories, and in doing so, drawing a very important portrait of American history. She uses a physical object, and heirloom, to connect the generations, and that imagery worked in wonderful ways, providing the object an emotional history of its own.

I was not fully connected to the characters, but appreciated the story, and was fully invested during its unfolding.

Thank you for the ARC.

I thought Black Cake couldnt be topped but Good Dirt is a close second. I was quickly drawn into this and couldnt put it down.