Beneath the Draper Moon

by: Julius Parker

5 stars

I hope we all add this book to our library as the world strives to become even more human.

The author, Julius Parker, says he was inspired to write this novel “to uncover the truth of the African American journey to freedom….”

Beyond the Draper Moon is a moving, historically accurate account of a period in the history of the USA that determines present-day racially derived understandings and behaviors. Parker speaks slowly and patiently, unraveling the realities of 40 acres of land and the long road to emancipation.

The story follows many paths that in the end intertwine in a beautiful statement of what we nowadays call reunification/ reparation etc.etc.

He has no chapters in the copy I have. He simply starts each event on a new page from the 1800’s to the present day. It is gripping, carrying you through a range of emotions as we read about the horrors of the Confederate battles or smile with Emmaline when Dr Martin Luther King is invited to speak. The Southeastern states of the USA have a history that all its children should know. Parker’s accuracy simply makes the romance more real, inevitable and warming.

In the commencement speech (2016) UVA, Lucas says “This story is about history, struggles, and the interaction of human beings who love and support each other for no other reason than that is their heart’s desire”. Maybe that is why the story is so gripping. Parker takes no sides. He simply tells us about the lives of a group of people in the South.

His attention to detail brings to story alive. “it was little things like the tiny yellow butterflies floating above his head and the bees buzzing in and out of the clover and dandelions at his feet. It was the sweet smell of the wet leaves and the smoke coming from the wood stove”.  Or the 1948 Chevy Fleetline! I could just see it. Definitely a Must-Read.

reviews in Reedsy https://reedsy.com/discovery/user/eleanorwint