Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson (audiobook)

genre: contemporary/historical fiction

You would think that, because of how loved he is, Old Mo is a member of the Freeman family. But no, Old Mo is a hand-thrown clay jar with a significant past that ties the Freeman's to their enslaved ancestors. On one horrible day, young Ebby Freeman's life changes in a horrific instant. The trauma of this event will be draped around her as she grows up and in this story of loss and grief, the strength of these ancestors will help Ebby and her family find a way to move forward.

This was a really engaging listen. I loved the theme of the jar and the way we followed it and its makers through time. Ebby is a sympathetic character and books like this remind me of how important it is for me to read things outside of the bubble of my own white-centric experience. The history of this family is so rich and each chapter is told from a different point of view, rotating between characters, time and place. I never had a hard time staying in the story, as painful as it sometimes was. While the third person narration sometimes made me feel a little bit distant from the emotions of especially the main characters, I still wanted to listen all day while going about my chores. This is a good book.