A Kind of Freedom. Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
Praise for A Kind of Freedom
Long-listed for the 2017 National Book Award in Fiction
Winner of the First Novelist Award from the Black Caucus
of the American Library Association
Long-listed for the NCIBA Book Award for Fiction
A New York Times Notable Book
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
One of 100 Best Books of 2017 (San Francisco Chronicle)
One of the 10 Best Books of 2017 (BBC Culture)
One of the Best Books of 2017 (Southern Living)
One of the Best Books of 2017 (Chicago Public Library)
One of the Best Books PureWow Read in 2017
One of 2017’s Best Works of Fiction (East Bay Express)
“Sexton’s first novel is set in New Orleans from the mid-1940s to the city’s ruthless real estate makeover years after Hurricane Katrina. Delivered by three accomplished narrators, the story moves through three generations of a black family, starting with the daughter of a pioneering doctor and his Creole wife, who have set themselves against her marrying the hard-working son of a janitor. This moving debut is ingeniously told in its passage back and forth through lives and changing times.”
—The Washington Post
“This wonderful debut by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton explores three generations in the life of an African-American family living in New Orleans, beginning with World War II–era Evelyn and continuing through history by unfolding the lives of Evelyn’s daughter, Jackie, and Jackie’s son, T.C., as well as the continuity of struggles that haunt them all.”
—Southern Living, One of the Best Books of 2017
“[A] powerful first novel, which traces the complex downward spiral of a black family over three generations . . . Despite the struggles, A Kind of Freedom glimmers with hope.”
—BBC Culture
“Sexton’s debut novel is a poignant, deeply emotional and timely exploration of systemic racism in America. Told through the interconnected narratives of three generations of a New Orleans family, the work captures more than seven decades of history in one book without feeling overstuffed. Quite the opposite, actually: You’ll be left wanting to know more about these incredible characters’ circumstances, motivations and dreams, both realized and unfulfilled.”
—PureWow
“Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s debut, A Kind of Freedom, a family story set in New Orleans, is really good, too.”
—TAYARI JONES, “A Year in Reading,” The Millions
“[A] compelling debut novel . . . Race, class, unemployment, drug wars and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina all factor into Sexton’s multigenerational tale, illustrating the persistent racial disparities in our so-called ‘post-racial’ America.”
—The Mercury News
“It’s hard to believe that A Kind of Freedom is Sexton’s first novel . . . Given the recent happenings in Charlottesville, Virginia, it’s hard to imagine a more relevant release date for this lovely, important book. This is a book for our time.”
—New York Journal of Books
“This generational arc is largely related to systemic racism, but to simplify this novel as an exploration of such minimizes Wilkerson’s incredible achievement. Rather, A Kind of Freedom is a portrait of a family and a richly layered exploration of their sufferings . . . What is most remarkable about the tapestry of these stories is the way each person’s section is written a little differently from the last, like varying fabrics. Evelyn’s chapters and T.C.’s are written so distinctly that at times it feels like a completely different person wrote them. Sexton’s ability to change the style of writing to fit the time period is one of the most impressive aspects of the novel. Equally notable is how vividly each character is portrayed. Not only do each of the characters feel relatable, but they’re so fully realized that they stay with you long after finishing the story. That this multigenerational novel is a mere 228 pages and still manages to create such lifelike characters is an impressive feat . . . This remarkable debut marks Margaret Wilkerson Sexton as a writer worth watching.”
—Chicago Review of Books
“Sharp-eyed, generous, and specific in its portrayal of life in the Big Easy, A Kind of Freedom is a remarkably assured debut.”
—East Bay Express, 2017’s Best Fiction
“Sexton’s handling of switchbacks between chapters featuring the different generations and characters is deft, swift and seamless, indicative of a more seasoned novelist.”
—East Bay Times
“Three New Orleans generations make up Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s heart-wrenching novel, A Kind of Freedom, each suffering through desires, ambitions and brutal limitations . . . Sexton, who grew up in New Orleans but now lives in the Bay Area of California, tears at your heart with this multi-generational tale in which readers hope for the best for this family but know society’s limitations and empty promises will drag them down. And yet, hope remains. Or maybe the possibility of hope.”
—Monroe News Star
“Luminous and heartbreaking . . . A Kind of Freedom is a story for our times, and is deserving of a wide readership.”
—Signature Reads
“Sexton spotlights her generations at moments of potential crisis, then gives each family member room to do the best he or she can. Theirs is unquestionably a story of suffering—and, just as unquestionably, a story of endurance.”
—Read It Forward
“Through each characters’ passion, resilience, and hopes, A Kind of Freedom reveals how the pursuit of a dream can lead to an individual’s demise or redemption and how sometimes it can simultaneously lead to both.”
—Well-Read Black Girl
“Sexton’s wonderful debut traces a family through three generations in New Orleans—from a star-crossed romance in the 1940s to the crack epidemic of the 1980s to the unfathomable changes wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Injustice, hope, ambition, and the history and truth of New Orleans are the underlying subjects of this novel, explored through the stories of these well-drawn characters.”
—Literary Hub
“[A] stunning debut novel . . . The book’s greatest strength lies in its characters. Evelyn, Jackie, T.C., and their family and friends are remarkably well developed, creating in the reader a wrenching empathy to their plights . . . A whole-hearted book that couldn’t be timelier, A Kind of Freedom challenges, illuminates, and inspires.”
—The Riveter Magazine
“Future literary classic.”
—The Conversation
“Sexton’s debut novel shows us that hard work does not guarantee success and that progress doesn’t always move in a straight line.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Evelyn, Jackie, and T. C. are complex and authentic generations of a New Orleans family. The novel’s title captures reality for all three: free people trying to exercise free will while the webbing of race and class prevents them from finding free opportunity . . . Sexton’s characters share the traits of kindness and struggle, and her first novel disavows any notion that prejudice is history: perhaps changed in form, it is still passed along with the generations. This novel sparked a bidding war among literary agents, and for good reason. This family is