This was an excellent book by a wonderful author. She weaves generational trauma as well as personal trauma into the main character’s story beautifully as she tells both a family’s multi generational history and her own personal story. I really enjoyed it overall if at times parts felt a little repetitive. I enjoyed seeing Ebby’s personal growth through her pain and seeing her become a better and different person as the story progressed. I enjoyed the same from the points of view from her parents as well. Seeing her family history through the tale of “Old Mo” was well done and interesting. Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. Thank you to Charmaine Wilkerson and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy.

Outstanding ! So enjoyed this book, the telling of our history and time is so important, today when there is so much unrest. I hope that in reading and learning about this family can help to understand ;History should not be good or bad. History is just that fact we don't have to like or dislike. We can't change but can learn from Hope you learn!

Good Dirt, a good 2nd novel from Charmaine Wilkerson. With a structure similar to her terrific first title, Black Cake, the story takes the reader back and forth through multiple time periods, eventually bringing all the threads together in the end. I very much enjoyed the book, but at times felt there were a few too many threads that weren’t woven in as completely as they might have been. Still a terrific read. Look forward to more work from this author.

Like her debut novel Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkerson's wonderful second novel Good Dirt follows a young woman's journey from childhood trauma to heartbreak and finally understanding.

It is always a win for me when a historical fiction weaves in a modern day mystery in a way that works. This book is multigenerational and told from multiple points of view, although concentrates mainly on Ebby and her immediate family (the immediate and delayed aftermath of her brother's death/murder). I loved the writing (short chapters always draw me in). I loved Black Cake too. I will now read anything Charmaine Wilkerson writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ebby has never gotten over the loss of her brother when she was only ten years old. And now, with no explanation, her groom has run off the day of her wedding!

Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake, has given us another great story, this one a little easier to follow. We learn right away the importance of the old stoneware jar that has been not only part of the family but a symbol of their heritage. Woven throughout Ebby’s story is the one about the jar and her ancestors, from their time in Africa until the first members of her family arrive in New England. That story is one of love, hardship, sacrifice and courage.

While Ebby is trying to get back on her feet, we also learn how her brother Baz’s death has affected her dad and mom. None have been able to face up to the fact of Baz’s death and start again to live.

There is also a mystery surrounding Baz’s death, but I think for Wilkerson that is not as important as the rest of the story, which is to show how three beautiful people of great good fortune and unforgotten memories learn to honor the hard journey of their forebears and in so doing help themselves.

Good Dirt is a beautiful story of how something precious that has been broken can somehow be put back together again.

WOW! I loved this book! Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for this ARC for review. I was introduced to this author when her first book Black Cake, was picked for Read with Jenna book club pick. I really enjoyed that book so I was excited to see what this author would write next. I couldn't put this book down. This moving story of a home invasion and the how Ebby saw her brother Baz laying on the floor and the shattered remains of the family heirloom, a centuries-old jar. The story is told back and forth between the enslaved ancestor who created the jar and how it has been passed down throughout the family and Ebby and her family and how the day Baz died and the jar shattered changed their lives.

Another beautifully written book by Charmaine Wilkerson. Ebby is haunted by her brother's murder, which she witnessed firsthand as a little girl. Now as an adult, she has been left at the altar, and the trauma is bringing back everything from her past. Ebby decides to escape to France where no one knows her story. However, escaping your past is not that easy. To pass the time she starts writing down the stories that were passed down from generation to generation about a family heirloom that was destroyed during her brother's murder.

“Words have power. So does the absence of words. Sometimes when people choose not to speak, their silence can block out the sun."

Good Dirt is a multi-generational family saga told from several points of view. The story follows several time periods.

The Freeman family, now living in present day New England, are the proud owners of a family heirloom passed through generations. It is their most prized possession - a hand thrown potter’s jar made by a previously enslaved ancestor. The ancestor brought the jar with him to the north after he was freed. In New England, 200 years earlier, the potter was able to begin his own business with his partner, a white man.

Tragedy strikes, and the family mourns for years. Ultimately, the family’s youngest child, Ebby, (now in college) learns the true value of the heirloom, including its importance not only in her family but also in African American history. A coming-of-age story for Ebby and a unique look at Black History. Black Dirt reads as a rich, well-written drama, and a mystery.

Black Cake author, Charmaine Wilkerson, has done it again. This is a great story with plenty of drama and rich with family lore. A historical fiction novel that is also a mystery. An epic family story revealing previously unknown family secrets. Be sure to read the author’s notes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Special thanks to #NetGalley #CharmaineWilkerson #BallantineBooks #RandomHouse for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair an honest review. Publication Date: February 18, 2025

#EmptyNestReader #instagram #Goodreads #BlackDirt #CharmaineWilkerson #Historical #historicalfiction #AugustReads #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle #ebooks #librarybooks

Like Charmaine Wilkerson's previous novel Black Cake, her new novel focuses on family, trauma, and uncovering the secrets of the past. Beautiful writing, but I had a hard time connecting with some of the characters in Good Dirt. I might have been comparing my feelings from her previous novel because I really loved the characters in that one.

The past/present timelines were sluggish in transition at times, but overall, this is an enjoyable, heartfelt read that will resonate with a lot of readers.

Like her prior book, Black Cake, this is a very creative story. Although in this one I did wonder if she included too much - perhaps a few too many things happen to too many characters. On the other hand, I especially appreciated the flashbacks to their descendants who were slaves - the family history and current story tied together extremely well. The author is a very strong writer who is clearly highly educated on the topics she included and I will definitely read her future books.


Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As a fan of Black Cake, I was delighted to have the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I loved this book. It is beautifully written, and I enjoyed hearing the story from many of the characters' points of view. It is not a fast or easy read, but I read it slowly to be sure I didn't miss anything. I enjoyed the contemporary part of the story the most, but I found the whole saga intriguing. Since there were many time periods interspersed in the book, there was suspense as the reader waits to have answers revealed to many of the mysteries of the events. I appreciated that even some very minor characters divulged their parts in the story by the end. This would be a perfect selection for book discussion groups. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I loved this book. I had loved Black Cake so was very excited to read this as well and it did not disappoint. The character arcs grabbed me and I enoyed following the story of the Freeman family over the centuries. I would have liked to have known whether the Freemans ever discovered who was responsible for Baz's murder, but the fact that Ed had a hunch about it was satisfactory enough.

Fans of BLACK CAKE will not be disappointed by Wilkerson’s sophomore effort, GOOD DIRT. The author again presents a satisfying and original tale that blends both contemporary and historical fiction. The story of the Freemans, an affluent African American family, is told via a treasured family artifact, a 20 gallon ceramic jar they call “Old Mo” that was made by an enslaved ancestor and has been passed down through multiple generations of Freeman’s. It currently resides with Ed Freeman, his wife Soh, and their children, Baz and Ebby. But, when the jar becomes entwined in an unspeakable family tragedy, the entire family must learn to cope with the effects of severe trauma and somehow find a way to keep going.
Wilkerson’s writing is both accessible and sophisticated, which can be a tough thing to achieve. It’s the kind of book where you might find a single sentence so profound that you have to stop a moment and just digest it. At times, the various generations of Freemans can be confusing, but it doesn’t really matter because the messages of the story are never lost.

Charmaine Wilkerson wrote a masterpiece in Black Cake; she's a master of the family story, so I was really looking forward to Good Dirt. It's the story of an upscale African American family, who has suffered an unimaginable tragedy, the loss of their son as well as a precious heirloom during a home robbery. Most of the novel is set ten years later, with flash backs all the way back to the era of slavery. The main character is Ebby, who flees to France after her fiancé leaves her at the altar. Ebby is a well-developed, complex character surrounded by a group of equally good characters, including Big Mo, the car jar and family heirloom. I enjoyed the story, especially the family history. I did feel it bogged down a bit three-quarters into the book, but the conclusion was satisfying. Lots to discuss in a good group.

I was really taken by Charmaine Wilkerson's first book, Black Cake, but unfortunately this second novel doesn't meet the same bar. The main arc of the narrative, about Black history in America--as told through material history--and a family coping--and not coping--with the murder of a child--is an excellent idea. But the characters, despite their deep traumas and well-defined backgrounds, don't really come to life and instead remain representations rather than characters. Overall, the novel could be tightened up: there's a lot of time dedicated to other gruesome murders that functions as a brief red herring, characters who seem extraneous, and action by character that seems arbitrary and strange and goes unexplained. It's uneven at best.

This is a story about history, racism, family trauma, and grief and PTSD. It is told in various POV’s. The murder of 15 year old Baz during a home invasion leaves the Freeman family forever changed. A family heirloom is broken during the break in and the family is broken also and tries to move on. Ebby is left at the altar many years later after her brother’s death. All of this weaves together to tell the history of the Freeman family. A solid 4 ⭐s!

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review!

Good Dirt
I have read the author’s debut novel Black Cake and was looking forward to reading her second novel. Unfortunately I was very disappointed. The story of a successful black family in current times goes back to the family’s ancestors as slaves. These ancestors were making pottery pieces to be sold by their owners. One of these pieces survived and was in the possession of the Freeman’s through many generations. The family, Ed, his wife Shoh and their children Baz and Ebby were always in awe of the piece. The family suffers a terrible tragedy when 15 year old Baz is killed in a robbery attempt to steal the jar. Her younger sister, Ebby witnesses the event, that has a permanent effect on her life. Although the story is very interesting and relevant, it goes back and forth between multiple time frames and characters where my head was spinning of the constant time changes and people. It felt very disjointed to me and felt it was an agonizing delay to arrive at the end and clarifying everything. I couldn’t wait to be over and not in a good way. I didn’t like Ebby’s character and actions, even if I sympathized with her witnessing her beloved brother’s murder and being left at the altar on her wedding day. Henry, her intended was also not a character I could like. He was a coward was not able to escape his white family’s effect on him.
I received a complimentary copy, opinions are my own.

This was really interesting in concept as an international, generational story about slavery, racism, trauma and what else is handed down within families, and the importance of objects or totems in family and other histories. There is definitely at least one love story in there as well.

I enjoyed it, however, at times, was irritated by what felt like somewhat clumsy execution; as if the author had a clear outline and had to meet some deadlines to fill in the chapters. The book felt like a feat due to the previous; it read as somewhat labored. Have to say that I enjoyed her other book; Black Cake, more.

I was afraid that this was going to be a typical love story and am very pleased to say that I was wrong. Good Dirt is a book but good dirt can also be clay. Something basic and elemental that has been taken from its original and formed into something strong, beautiful and extraordinary. That is what the Freeman’s family stoneware jar called “Little Mo” is made from and what this book is based on. This jar takes us through the journey of their family from slavery to present day.
The story surrounds Ebby, a girl who has lived under the spotlight since the age of 10. At that time she found her older brother, Baz, shot to death by intruders surrounded by the remains of the family’s stoneware heirloom. Years later she was again the center of attention when she was left at the altar by her high society fiancé Henry. We see Henry and Ebby again in this book as we move backwards and forwards in time. As we examine them, Ebby’s parents and grandparents. We even get to learn about her slave roots and the formation of Old Mo.
Wilkerson’s book is a wonderful examination of lives damaged and repaired. It also looks at the tenacity of the human spirit. I definitely recommend.this book.