When a young man from Haiti proposes to Libertie and promises a better life on the island, she accepts, only to discover that she is still subordinate to him and all men. But Libertie is hungry for something else-is there really only one way to be independent? And she is constantly reminded that, unlike her light-skinned mother, she will not be able to pass for white.

“A stunning look at what freedom really means.” - The New York TimesĬoming of age in a free Black community in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson is all too aware that her mother, a physician, has a vision for their future together: Libertie is to go to medical school and practice alongside her.

I’m not sure I fully understood what the author was trying to do with this story and I don’t fault the author for this as I think it was more a reader/user error.A New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2021 and Best Historical Fiction PickĪ Best Book of the Year: Washington Post, TIME, Los Angeles Times, and Christian Science Monitor For this reason, I’m not thrilled by the book. I need time to digest some of the concepts brought up in this book more and truly understand what the character Libertie is feeling, thinking, and coming from. Ultimately, I think I need to read this book again when I have the time to read it all in a shorter time and really think about it. I hope my life choices are able to bring me to a place where I feel fulfilled and content, for at least the foreseeable future, wherever that may be.

I feel like that’s all I’ve been trying to do for the past 4-8 years as well. She was constantly trying to find a place for herself, find herself, and understand what would fulfill her individually. She was conflicted at home, then when she went to college, and even when she traveled to Haiti to make a new life for herself and her husband. The author was able to make me relate to Libertie and the internal struggle she had consistently throughout this novel. I haven’t read much about that time period, so would like to learn more. I also enjoyed the time in history during which the story took place and dynamics it brought up for the characters. I think I’d like to read other works of hers.

I appreciated Kaitlyn Greenidge’s beautiful writing style.

Libertie book review