A Kind of Freedom: A Novel

By Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

Longlisted for the National Book Award
A New York Times Notable Book

The moving, multi-generational debut novel from the author of On the Rooftop, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

“Brilliantly juxtaposing World War II, the '80s and post–Katrina present, Sexton follows three generations of a Black New Orleans family as they struggle to bloom amid the poison of racism.” —People

Evelyn is a Creole woman who comes of age in New Orleans at the height of World War II. In 1982, Evelyn’s daughter, Jackie, is a frazzled single mother grappling with her absent husband’s drug addiction. Jackie’s son, T.C., loves the creative process of growing marijuana more than the weed itself. He was a square before Hurricane Katrina, but the New Orleans he knew didn’t survive the storm. For Evelyn, Jim Crow is an ongoing reality, and in its wake new threats spring up to haunt her descendants. Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s critically acclaimed debut is an urgent novel that explores the legacy of racial disparity in the South through a poignant and redemptive family history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781640090026

Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

MARGARET WILKERSON SEXTON studied creative writing at Dartmouth College and law at UC Berkeley. Her most recent novel, The Revisioners, won a 2020 Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work and was a national bestseller as well as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her debut novel, A Kind of Freedom, was long-listed for the National Book Award. She lives in Oakland with her family.

Reviews for A Kind of Freedom

[steve02476 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

OK I guess, not so great. Some of the writing was ok, but a lot of the dialog seemed clumsy, and a lot of the story was just depressing and draggy. I could imagine a great book going through three generations of a New Orleans family; I guess this disappointed me.

[castlelass · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in New Orleans in three time periods, this novel follows the stories of three individuals of different generations in the same family. In 1944, Evelyn, daughter of a successful black doctor, develops a relationship with a young man from a lower social station, though his future appears bright. In 1986, Evelyn’s daughter, Jackie, a new mother, is coping with her husband’s drug addiction. In 2010, as the city is dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Jackie’s son, T.C., is being released from prison and is about to become a father.

The story arc is almost the opposite of what would be expected. With the passage of time, the family’s situation deteriorates. The author explores factors that contribute to ongoing racial disparity in a way that inspires compassion and does an excellent job of instilling hopefulness even when many adverse events are occurring in these family members’ lives. Though part of it is a coming of age story, I would not classify it as “young adult” due to the descriptions of drug addiction and small amount of explicit sex.

The structure of the book one in which the three primary plot lines are interwoven and non-linear, so the reader knows some of what happens before the story gets to how it happened. This approach is very effective, as the reader keeps rooting for the characters to succeed, even though we know some of their obstacles and choices are going to make life difficult for them. This is primarily a character-driven novel and the characters feel authentic. I could relate to their struggles, which says a lot about the author’s ability to appeal to a diverse audience. It is a subtle commentary on the racial issues that still permeate our society.

[fromthecomfychair · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story covers three generations of a Black family in New Orleans, starting during WWII, and ending at 2010. The structure of the novel moves back and forth between the generations, so that just as I was settling into one story, the next generation popped up. I had an urge to simply read the story by generations, which for me would have been more satisfying. In this story, I'm not sure what purpose was served by bouncing between stories. For me, it was confusing. And there were pieces of the story that were left unfinished. What did Renard do when he returned from WWII and married Evelyn? How did they end up running a daycare service, and was Renard part of that or had he had another career? He didn't get to medical school, but what did he do? Then Jackie chooses a man who should be a star, until drug addiction claims him. It was sad, but was it inevitable? Did addiction claim him because he was a Black man? Was Jackie's life over when Terry left? Why couldn't she make a go towards a better life for her and TC? Jackie's sister Sybil seems to escape the poverty and drugs, and become a lawyer, but she doesn't become a wife and mother, it seems. It's as if the novel is saying, "you can have one, but not the other."TC, the son of Jackie, becomes a drug dealer and ends up in jail for minor offenses. I understand that he might not have ended up in jail had he been white. Is it because his mother was unable to pick herself up or because he was a Black youth? We are left wondering if he will be able to save himself and his family after his sentence is served. This book is about the effects of systemic racism, yet it starts with a prosperous Black family where the father is a doctor. Is the author trying to say that this downward slide was inevitable?

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Following the lives of two black sisters in New Orleans, the novel tells of story of race, of hope, of despair as we watch the two sisters age, their children become mothers, and the grandchildren growing up. It was sad, and yet, at the end I had a feeling of hope.

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the multi-generational story of a black family in New Orleans from before World War II until after Hurricane Katrina. The World War II sections focus on Evelyn, the daughter of a well-respected doctor and a member of New Orleans's black aristocracy. She falls in love with Reynard, a man below her social status.In the sections set during the 1980's, the focus is on Jackie, the daughter of Evelyn and Reynard. Her husband is struggling with crack addiction, and she is attempting to raise her son essentially on her own. Her sister Sybil is a successful attorney.The parts set after Katrina focus on T.C., Jackie's son, now a young man. He has just been released from prison, determined to do well for the sake of his unborn child, although a friend convinces him to make one last killing from his talent at growing marijuana before going straight.Each older generation appears in and plays an important part in the sections focusing on the younger generations. In Jackie's sections, we see Evelyn and Reynard from an entirely different pov than they appear in the World War II sections, and in T.C.'s sections we see Evelyn and Reynard, and Jackie as T.C. sees them. I really liked getting to know the various characters from multiple points of view. And while there is lots of plot going on, this is basically a novel of characterization. All sorts of relationships are explored, husband/wife, mother/daughter, sister/sister, and so on. In addition, although it mostly stays in the background and does not interfere with the novelistic aspects of this book, there is lots about the big issues of race relations, particularly the racial disparities over a long period of time, and the problem of the criminalization of drugs and the resulting over-imprisonment of black youth.Highly recommended.3 1/2 stars

[chrisblocker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“The best time to start was yesterday...”I believe that had I read Margaret Wilkerson Sexton's debut novel ten years ago—even five—I would've been ecstatic, in love. There's so much weight to this book, and with its finely drawn characters, A Kind of Freedom demands attention. It is a wonderful, multi-generational story. Each generation lives amongst devastation and beauty. Each generation gives voice to hope and resignation. And through the eyes of each generation, we see a city rise and fall.Sexton's writing here reminds me most of Gloria Naylor's. A Kind of Freedom is an intense story of dreams deferred by discrimination and poverty. Sexton's vivid depiction addresses many social issues that together weave a tapestry of injustice. She delves into the psychology of this family and the city. Yet, like Naylor's stories, A Kind of Freedom does not lose sight of the story at the center of the novel. Add to this Sexton's stunning portrait of New Orleans; the setting may be considered an additional character.“...the next best time is now.”While I greatly enjoyed A Kind of Freedom, I didn't fall in love. And this is merely, or so I believe, because I hadn't read it sooner in life. The story has many qualities I love, but it doesn't surprise me, not does it capture my heart the same way other similar stories have. I think this may have most to do with characters who were not developed as fully as they could've been. Evelyn, Jackie, and T.C. are all great characters, but I know that I could've spent more time in the mind of each. That said, T.C. was nearly perfect and he was certainly the most unforgettable of the three. With the others, I felt more like an observer to their trials, but with T.C. I was there, inside.A Kind of Freedom is a good novel that I think could've been made stronger with another hundred pages to flesh out some of these characters. New Orleans and T.C. are both very compelling, but there's something missing from the rest of the story that kept me distant. That something may be a generational connection (T.C. is my closest contemporary), but I think it has more to do with really delving into the soul of these characters. Keep in mind that I'm a very character-driven reader and that I place great emphasis on character development. As far as plot, A Kind of Freedom is a very tightly and neatly written story. Most readers looking for a captivating and insightful story will be greatly pleased with this one.

[carmenere_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Author, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, has written a thought provoking novel which brings to light problems facing our society in 2017. One which touches on the many issues relevant to the Black American family today but still pertinent to people of every race and standing. It demonstrates the plight of broken families, the dead end life of an ex-con, the prevalence of drugs and "friends" who are only out for themselves. Through bad decisions and lack of common sense bad things happen to good people. Even natural disasters appear to be out to get those trying to straighten out their lives.To illustrate this, Sexton begins the story in 1944. Evelyn, daughter of a well heeled doctor lives in a beautiful area of New Orleans in a lovely home. Renard, on the other hand is an orphan taken in by his extended family. They meet, fall in love and their family grows. Yet, the prosperity Evelyn enjoyed in 1944 diminishes as the years go on which is demonstrated by her daughter, Jackie and grandson TC. The story weaves from past to present and back again smoothly, effortlessly, in fact. Not every author has this ability nor the talent to draw the reader into the story or feel an emotional attachment to her characters. Author, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton did all of this and more in her debut novel. An excellent novel and one which should be discussed openly.

[pepperwings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*I was given a free copy in exchange for a review*This is a story about several generations of one family in New Orleans, *one* portion being set not long after hurricane Katrina. I misunderstood when reading the original blurb, and thought that was most of the story, but that doesn't reflect on the book itself. This is not my typical reading fare, it's about a normal family, and their troubles and lives. It's interesting, and sad, and lovely. I enjoyed this insight into their lives, though I felt like there should be more--although learning about 5 generations is quite a lot to fit into a book, and it would take a lot more pages to go into more depth. Still, I guess I felt it was a little superficial, given how we're meant to relate to, or at least understand some of these hardships and decisions the people made. I also think it could use a little more editing, some of the grammar was clunky, although most of it was well crafted.

[froxgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The "kind" in the title conveys all that is tentative about the chances for success as a black person in this country. The extended family here features a doctor and a lawyer and a pot farmer and a day care center owner, and all have had chances snatched away by both blatant and subtle racism. The rivalry and passionate attachment between two generations of sisters is a focus as the story jumps back and forth between the WW II years and the 1980s. Although this is a universal story of every family, with all of the tragedy and the humor, it's through an African American lens rather than the usual white gaze. The deepest dive is into the character TC, whose ability to cultivate different strains of marijuana would make him a most prosperous entrepreneur - thirty years later.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Eleanor and her sister Ruby are sisters living in New Orleans. As Creoles they have a higher standard of living then many, their father a respected doctor, and as such they escape much of the racism inherent in the South. When Eleanor falls for a man, who has nothing, a man not her social equal, her standard of living drops drastically. Like her mother she too will have two daughters, and her daughter Jackie will fall in love with a man trying to fight a drug addiction, and their son will spend time in prison for trying to escape the jobless circumstances in which he finds himself.Another timely read, at least here in the USA, with the Black Lives Matter movement. The novel spans seventy years, and represents a family whose circumstances continue to fall lower than the previous generations. Drugs, post Katrina, lives destroyed but hitting the black population in greater numbers.The women are the stronger characters in this story, the men try but seem to get in their own way, they can see what they want, they just reach for it in the wrong way. Even the characters that are making wrong decisions, are not unlikable, they are just defeated by circumstances that are stronger than their will. Well written, honest and forthright, a novel highlighting many of the problems caused by poverty and drugs.ARC from edelweiss.