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    One Night in Georgia: A Novel
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    One Night in Georgia: A Novel
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    One Night in Georgia: A Novel
    Ebook268 pages4 hours

    One Night in Georgia: A Novel

    By Celeste O. Norfleet

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    One of “The 17 Best Summer Reads of 2019” by Harper’s Bazaar!

    Set in the summer of 1968, a provocative and devastating novel of individual lives caught in the grips of violent history—a timely and poignant story that reverberates with the power of Alice Walker’s Meridian and Ntozake Shange’s Betsey Browne.

    At the end of a sweltering summer shaped by the tragic assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy, race riots, political protests, and the birth of Black power, three coeds from New York City—Zelda Livingston, Veronica Cook, and Daphne Brooks—pack into Veronica’s new Ford Fairlane convertible, bound for Atlanta and their last year at Spelman College. It is the beginning a journey that will change their lives irrevocably.

    Unlikely friends from vastly different backgrounds, the trio has been inseparable since freshman year. Zelda, serious and unyielding, the heir of rebellious slaves and freedom riders, sees the world in black versus white. Veronica, the privileged daughter of a refined, wealthy family, strongly believes in integration and racial uplift. Daphne lives with a legacy of loss—when she was five years old, her black mother committed suicide and her white father abandoned her.

    Because they will be going their separate ways after graduation, Zelda, Veronica, and Daphne intend to make lasting memories on this special trip. Though they are young and carefree, they aren’t foolish. Joined by Veronica’s family friend Daniel, they rely on the Motorist Green Book to find racially friendly locations for gas, rest, and food. Still, with the sun on their cheeks, the wind in their hair, and Motown on the radio, the girls revel in their freedom. Yet as the miles fly by, taking them closer to the Mason-Dixon line, tension begins to rise and the conversation turns serious when Daphne shares a horrifying secret about her life.

    When they hit Washington, D.C., the joyous trip turns dark. In Virginia they barely escape a desperate situation when prison guards mistake Daniel for an escapee. Further south they barely make it through a sundown town. When the car breaks down in Georgia they are caught up in a racially hostile situation that leaves a white person dead and one of the girls holding the gun.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJun 18, 2019
    ISBN9780062329912
    Author

    Celeste O. Norfleet

    Celeste O. Norfleet is a nationally bestselling author of more than twenty critically acclaimed commercial fiction novels. She is the recipient of six awards from Romance Slam Jam (RSJ), as well as a lifetime achievement award. She was also honoured with the BRAB, 2016 Frances Ray Lifetime Literary Legacy Award. She is a graduate of Moore College of Art and Design. She lives in Virginia.

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    Reviews for One Night in Georgia

    4/5

    16 ratings2 reviews

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    • 2/5
      The tumultuous sixties is my favorite era to read about in nonfiction, and I'm always excited when I find a novel set during this period. I was looking forward to a story with depth and insight into the cultural struggles. We are given the insight here, but the depth is lacking.The cast of characters offers diversity and intrigue. Unfortunately, I felt detached from them as people. Some things just didn't make sense. For instance, a male "chaperone" none of the girls knew shows up to accompany them to Georgia, and all the girls easily accept his intrusion as if having a strange guy join your girls-only adventure isn't the least bit uncomfortable. And then this young man remains silent, almost ghost-like for long passages, when his presence is unnecessary to the story. Also, the girls vacillate between tough and meek, educated and naive, and so none of it feels honest.The interactions and confrontations are stereotypical and lack depth. The conversations sound unnatural. They are speeches designed to educate readers, rather than normal discussions between young adult friends. The result is a kind of preachy story in which we're told a lot but shown little.I wanted to love this book, but ultimately I was disappointed.*I received a review copy from the publisher.*
    • 5/5
      Hands down one of the best books I’ve ever read!