Four Spirits [B1634]

2003 HCDJ in nice clean condition. From the acclaimed author of the national bestseller Ahab's Wife comes an inspiring, brilliantly rendered new novel of the awakening conscience of the South and of an entire nation. Weaving together the lives of blacks and whites, racists and civil rights advocates, and the events of peaceful protest and violent repression, Sena Jeter Naslund creates a tapestry of American social transformation at once intimate and epic.

In Birmingham, Alabama, twenty-year-old Stella Silver, an idealistic white college student, is sent reeling off her measured path by events of 1963. Combining political activism with single parenting and night-school teaching, African American Christine Taylor discovers she must heal her own bruised heart to actualize meaningful social change. Inspired by the courage and commitment of the civil rights movement, the child Edmund Powers embodies hope for future change. In this novel of maturation and growth, Naslund makes vital the intersection of spiritual, political, and moral forces that have redefined America.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "What an incredibly powerful book. It took me a while because it's one you need to stop and take a breath every once in a while. It's so important that we don't forget our history."; "This book was super good, had a lot of different POVs of a time during the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama. From teachers, young adults, older adults, preachers, even one of the clan members. It took me a long time to read because at times I couldn't read it before bed because it would give me bad dreams- that's how much it impacted me! I can't speak to the historical accuracy of it,.I'm still slowly learning about Black history because growing up in a white small town we really weren't taught it in school, I'm hoping more books like these will help me learn!!!"; "Moving, heart wrenching, yet hopeful. This historical fiction captured a time of deep sadness for our country. And yet not so long ago, nor so distant in scope. The struggle is real and the struggle continues."