Libertie: A Novel

by Kaitlyn Greenidge

Channie Waites (Narrator)

"Pure brilliance. So much will be written about Kaitlyn Greenidge's Libertie - how it blends history and magic into a new kind of telling, how it spins the past to draw deft circles around our present - but none of it will measure up to the singular joy of reading this book." -Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk 

The critically acclaimed and Whiting Award-winning author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman returns with an unforgettable story about the meaning of freedom.

Coming of age as a free-born Black girl in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson was all too aware that her purposeful mother, a practicing physician, had a vision for their future together: Libertie would go to medical school and practice alongside her. But Libertie, drawn more to music than science, feels stifled by her mother's choices and is hungry for something else - is there really only one way to have an autonomous life? And she is constantly reminded that, unlike her mother who can pass, Libertie has skin that is too dark. When a young man from Haiti proposes to Libertie and promises she will be his equal on the island, she accepts, only to discover that she is still subordinate to him and all men. As she tries to parse what freedom actually means for a Black woman, Libertie struggles with where she might find it - for herself and for generations to come.

Inspired by the life of one of the first Black female doctors in the United States and rich with historical detail, Kaitlyn Greenidge's new novel resonates in our times and is perfect for readers of Brit Bennett, Min Jin Lee, and Yaa Gyasi.

• ISBN10: 1980075745
• ISBN13: 9781980075745
• Publish Date: 30 March 2021
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Algonquin Books (division of Workman)
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 12 hours and 12 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

I'm not quite sure how I feel about Libertie. I finished it, but I'm not sure I truly grasped what the story was all about. The prose was easy to read. The world was beautifully written. I felt empathy for Libertie (and annoyance) with her. But I'm not sure I understood the message the author was trying to convey. Perhaps after I sit with it for awhile or encounter other readers, it will come to light. But right now, I'm caught between like and dislike.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.