Mustard Seed: what a little faith can achieve

Mustard Seed by Laila Ibrahim is the second book in the Freedman/Johnson trilogy. It’s been three years since the end of the Civil War, Lisbeth Johnson and Mattie Freedman are raising their families in Oberlin, Ohio. Lisbeth receives news that her father is dying, she is summoned back to Virginia and the plantation where she grew up. She must face the proud Confederate family she left behind when she married an abolitionist and moved north. Mattie and her daughter, Jordan, return to Virginia, as well, to save the family they left behind who still suffer in oppression. As these women confront injustice as well as the bitterness and violence that fuels it, they must find the courage and strength to free themselves and their families from the past. Will Lisbeth find the peace she craves? Will Mattie and Jordan be able to move forward from their past? 

After reading Yellow Crocus, I was looking forward to this story. The story started off slow for me as the characters make their way back to Virginia with their various missions; however, the last third was action packed. The story showcases the horrible attitudes left in the hearts of the former slave owners as well as a few white Northerners who were there to “help.” Mustard Seed delves deeper into the Reconstruction period which is often sped through in history class. There was still a fight to fight after the war ended. I loved the illustration of the mustard seeds throughout the story and the reminder that all we need is a little faith even against insurmountable odds. While readers do not need to read Yellow Crocus in order to enjoy Mustard Seed, the story gives enough background to catch readers up, I still highly recommend it. I highly recommend Mustard Seed. 

Mustard Seed is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

The Bohemians: the people and the city that help shape the famous Dorothea Lange

The Bohemians by Jasmin Darznik is the story of a young Dorothea “Dorrie” Lange as she steps off the train in 1918 San Francisco. There she meets Caroline Lee, a vivacious, straight-talking Chinese American with a complicated past. Their friendship gives Dorrie entry to Monkey Block, an artists’ colony and the bohemian heart of the city. Dorrie is launched into a new world of freedom, art and politics. There she meets the people who helped shape the art culture of the 1920s as well as meets and falls in love with the brilliant, yet troubled, artist Maynard Dixon. Eventually Dorrie and Caroline form a partnership and create a successful portrait studio. Unfortunately, the anti-Chinese and anti-immigration sentiment in the city will push their friendship to a breaking point and alter the course of their partnership and their lives. How will the experience in San Francisco help mold Dorrie into the Dorotha Lange we all know, the photographer who documented the Great Depression and gave the suffering a human face? 

I have known Dorothea Lange for her famous photograph titled “Migrant Mother” but I knew very little of her origins. Ms. Darznik brings the past to life as vivid and vibrant as those who lived it. The events, the attitudes and the corruption feels eerily familiar to today’s contemporary themes. The story also reminds us that the gift of friendship and the possibility of self-invention are still possible even in the most turbulent times. From the opening chapters to the closing epilogue, Ms Darznik weaves a story of Dorothea Lange that many are not familiar with. As we know her as the famous photographer, she began at a time when female photographers were unheard of and not taken seriously. I enjoyed seeing the famous names of the day pop in, like Ansel Adams as well as the events that helped push Dorothea to document the Great Depression as she did. The Bohemians is an awesome story and I highly recommended it. 

The Bohemians will be available April 6, 2021 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook.