León, and Melinda Luisa de Jesús for a roundtable interview. I had the opportunity to gather Judy Juanita, Dr. I love what Judy, Raina, and Melinda have to say in this amazing powerful piece, and I invite you all to feel the passion behind their stories.

What are your favorite novels or books about the civil rights movement? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.Note from Assistant Managing Editor, Anita Ballesteros: In this blog piece from Rochelle Spencer, she speaks with three women writers in the Bay Area, all women of color, about the role of art to create social and life-altering change. Readers who do enjoy reading fiction about the civil rights movement should check out The Help by Kathryn Stockett, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, and Freshwater Road by Denise Nicholas.Ĭlick on any of the images below to review the books in more detail on. Unfortunately, that intended audience did not include me. I absolutely LOVE reading about the 1960 civil rights movement period, but truly felt that Virgin Soul was intended for a very limited audience. I just didn't care about Geniece's experiences and political adventures shortly after beginning the novel. Seasoned readers know how it goes - being told and not shown the story results in detachment from the narrator and main character, as well as a total lack of interest in the story. The novel is meant to be a coming-of-age story about Geniece and her political and racial experiences during the 1960s.Īfter just a few chapters, I lost interest in Virgin Soul upon feeling that I was 'being told and not shown' the story. Geniece eventually becomes involved in the Black Panther Party - defined (according to Wikipedia) as a black revolutionary socialist organization - which had actually originated in Oakland during the same time period. The novel takes place throughout the 1960s.įresh out of high school in 1964 Oakland, African-American Geniece Hightower decides to rent a room at the local YMCA and attends Oakland City College.

I agreed to review Virgin Soul because its synopsis sounds exciting, rich, full, and controversial, especially for those interested in the civil rights movement period. Virgin Soul was provided to me by the publisher, Viking, after they had asked me to review this novel. Virgin Soul is the first novel by Judy Juanita - a celebrated playwright and poet from the California Bay Area.

Virgin soul by judy juanita