Libertie

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” – Nelson Mandela

Libertie Sampson’s mother was a practicing physician in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, New York. Her mother had a vision for her – to be a physician like herself. Her entire life, her mother molded Libertie to be a doctor with hopes that one day they would practice medicine together. Dreams are wonderful, except when your dream differs from the one who has put all her hopes and dreams on you. Libertie loves music and wants something else in life. But what?

“How is it possible to become free when you do not even know who you are?”

Libertie’s mother is a free woman with light skin and could “pass” and practiced medicine during the time of slavery. She helped others and at times was praised and at times looked down upon. Libertie’s skin is dark, and she experiences racism and race bias. She has her own set of dreams and wants to break free and make her own life choices. When she meets a man from Haiti, she is promised to be treated as an equal and she agrees to marry him and move to Haiti. But soon questions what is equality and what is freedom? What does freedom mean?

Beautifully written this is a coming-of-age tale about a young woman who questions freedom throughout her young life. Freedom from underneath her mother’s expectations, freedom from race bias, freedom to be equal, freedom to make her own choices, freedom to speak her own mind, freedom to love and freedom to decide her fate. This is a book about love, courage, about family, about sexism, about race, about passing, about freedom, about colorism, and about a mother daughter relationship.

Kaitlyn Greenidge will grab you immediately with her opening scene and will keep you invested until her final sentence. Her research is impressive as is her depiction of relationships, expectations, and the hardships of life during that time. I found this book to be both thought provoking and riveting. Her writing as I mentioned is beautiful and at times lyrical.

An engrossing book which should not be missed.

***Inspired by the life of one of the first Black female doctors in the United States, Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Steward

I received a copy of this book from Algonquin Books and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.