We Hope for Better
Things is set in Detroit and
Lapeer County, Michigan in the 1860s, 1960s and current day. It seems
as if Detroit has most always been hoping for better things, even
during its more prosperous years there was an undercurrent of unrest
and dissatisfaction. Erin Bartels spent years crafting this story of
race in America over generations of the Balsam family. It is a tender
story that will both touch and prick your heart.
Mary
Balsam and her husband Nathaniel were abolitionists during the Civil
War era. Nathaniel fought on the side of the Union, and Mary took in
former slaves who helped her run the family farm, their lives
becoming tightly intertwined. Nora Balsam became Nora Rich when she
chose to step away from her privileged upbringing in the outskirts of
Detroit to marry William Rich, a young black photographer. William
had great plans for making a difference, but in an effort to protect
his wife from those in his own community that resented her, moved to
her family farm, once run by Mary. Elizabeth Balsam, once a
well-known journalist in the Detroit area, lost her position at the
paper, and also moved to the family farm to temporarily live with and
check on an elderly aunt who had been living there. While at the farm
she began to unlock the history of the Balsam family, a history that
might be considered a microcosm of the history of the area and
possibly of our nation.
I
recommend this timely story, and am grateful to have received a copy
from Revell Publishing through LibraryThing. I was under no
obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary
compensation.
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