Noted writer, librarian and bookfluencer Jean Stehle has posted the following deep dive review of HOW IT HAPPENS on social media— “This book was an eye-opener about the complexities of miscegenation after the Civil War— information that doesn’t make it into the textbooks.
HOW IT HAPPENS by @jeanaliciaelster intricately describes the new kind of bondage Black women were forced into when white men wanted to have a relationship with them during the late 19th century America.
I couldn’t love, nor empathize, with main character Addie enough. What a quiet force!!
With no choice but to accept the sexual desires of a wealthy politician, Addie makes the best of an impossible situation she was forced into while working as a chambermaid for a bed and breakfast in the South.
When her first two children were born— both with light skin— she paid dearly for a choice she did not make. Her life only gets more complicated by the time she gives birth to her son.
No spoilers here, but I must say I was shocked by the unspoken rules of the time for Black women in positions like Addie’s and the aftermath she endured all because of the whim of one powerful man.
This is a fantastic read for young adults curious to better understand the long-standing ripple effects of slavery in our country, as well as the racism and sexism that endured since the end of the Civil War, over 150 years ago.
@jeanaliciaelster is a gifted storyteller. Check her work out!!”
