LEAVING BIRDSONG

An African American family leaves their small South Carolina town for better opportunities in Detroit.

It’s 1946, and 11-year-old Abigail is torn between the pain of leaving her familiar home and the excitement of moving to a new place, one her father assures her will provide them with a better life. She’ll miss her friends but especially her poetry-loving Nana. Abigail’s father, a World War II veteran who wants to experience the freedom for which he fought, knows his mechanical talents will serve him well in his new auto plant job. The family makes a tiring journey north, guided by The Negro Motorist Green Book, which helps them find safe places to stop, before being welcomed by Daddy’s army buddy, whose son, Caesar, becomes Abigail’s first friend in her new home. Caesar introduces her to the public library, something that hadn’t been available to her back in Birdsong. Abigail’s Mama finds a hotel job and decides to study bookkeeping and shorthand in night school. Detroit isn’t without its challenges for Black people, however, something that Abigail witnesses in heartbreaking fashion. This is a beautifully written stand-alone companion to award-winner Woods’ The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA (2019). Abigail’s authentic voice supports the strong sense of time and place as she observes and seeks to understand her new surroundings: “Up North’s not perfect…But some things are mostly better…And even a little better is better.”

A quiet, powerful, textured novel that offers a window into the Great Migration.