Book Review: Libertie

Libertie, written by Katilyn Greenidge, is a book suggested to me as a way to honor Juneteenth. Because of my crazy schedule, I wasn't able to read it prior to the holiday, but I did want to read it for a variety of reasons, including supporting a black author and seeing the time period during and after slavery from a different point of view.

The story takes place outside of Brooklyn in a free-black community prior to, during, and shortly after the Civil War. I learned quite a lot about what "free" meant and didn't mean to those of color. I had always assumed that free blacks in the North were treated no differently than anyone else. However, this was not true. And because Libertie was a girl, soon to be woman, the lack of freedom was considerably less.
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I will be frank and say that I had trouble relating to Libertie and her mama, as well as the angst between them, though the author painted the picture beautifully with her words. I wanted Libertie to stop being a whiner. I wanted her mama to stop being so controlling. On the other hand, isn't that often the way it seems to be between a teenager and her mother? I loved the ending - and who Libertie becomes in the end. I'm glad I read the book and will look for others that look at this time period, especially those written from various points of view. If you read Libertie, I'd love to hear your thoughts.