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Editorial Review:
“Josephine, you have been through hell, and it's clear to me that you've changed. Don't think all the things that happened to you were because God was punishing you. You asked me if I believe in karma. I don't think I do, because a lot of bad things have happened to me that I don't think I deserved.”
In 1950s America, the racial divide ran rampant, especially in the South whose deep roots in slavery and the former confederacy of a 100 years previous still held a firm grip around most people's throats. No matter who you are, you've heard about Jim Crow, and you remember the headlines from those chaotic years of lynchings and hate crimes fueled by the KKK. Some of the more infamous crimes stick out in our minds, such as the abduction, torture, and lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was accused of offending a white woman in her family's grocery store. The brutality of his murder and the fact that his white killers were acquitted, drew attention to the long history of violence against African Americans in the US. While we have the headline articles featuring many during this time, there are so many voices which remain silent.
Southern Change is a journey with one young woman whose tale is the voice of many of those silenced during that time. Tallulah is a young African American girl, surrounded by a black family, but who often questions the light color of her skin in comparison to the rest of her family. At a very early age, she becomes the victim of an older married man who uses and discards her for his own entertainment. After recovering a near death experience, she again tries to pick herself up and continue on with her life. Before long, she is confronted with another devastating blow... a common occurrence during this era... when two young white boys, drunk and cruising for trouble, kidnap her and, well, without giving away any spoilers, things end badly for Tallulah, leading her to have to make decisions for herself and for others that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
But Tallulah's resilience is very evident, especially when she and her best friend, Livy, decide to make a life for themselves. Later, when Tallulah starts work for a well-to-do white family, she makes friends, unexpectedly, with the daughter. Hedy latches on to Tallulah, and they discover a world of commonality and acceptance that neither of them have ever known. Hedy has her own fair share of painful past experiences, and with the friendship gained from Tallulah, destiny plays out in ways that neither of them expect. And after both of them find love, secrets come out which link both of their families and bond them together for life.
Ms Laurienzo gives a fresh look at the horrible injustices wrought upon African Americans while the US emerged from the Civil Rights movement. You, as the reader, get a front row seat on the back row inequality served up in Tallahassee Florida when college students took to the streets to protest against the inhumane treatment of what most considered, second-class citizens. In this story, you are also privy to the depths of a human heart, and how this young girl had hopes and dreams just like any young girl, no matter the color of her skin. She dreamed of becoming a singer, of having a family, of love, of freedom, of acceptance... and yet, at every turn, she was shunned and ignored and abused. And when the secrets are revealed, Ms Laurienzo shows how very alike we all are in actuality, and how the shallowness of hate and prejudice is exposed for the sheer foolishness that it is. I am reminded of the racial prejudice rendered by Hitler and his minions against the Jews, and how the world recognizes that horrific time in history... and yet, just five to ten years after that war, African Americans suffered the same kinds of brutality here in the United States – whipped, beaten, imprisoned, tortured, hung, tarred and feathered, burned... and on and on... by some of the same men who probably fought in WWII against Hitler. Since the Civil War, since slavery was introduced to the South, this part of the country reeked of those prejudices, and it took years for the old feelings to wear off... and in some cases, the feelings still linger, unfortunately. This book does a wonderful job of showing the mutual likeness of people, no matter their race, and Ms Laurienzo should be proud of depicting such a remarkable young character who could teach everyone a thing or two about love and acceptance.
*****
“Southern Change” by Victoria Laurienzo receives four stars from The Historical Fiction Company
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