Eye-catching cover-- colorful flowers, gold seal literary award, positive blurb from an accomplished, well-known author—what's not to like? Reading Moonrise Over New Jessup caused me to question why I choose to read what I do. Are choices made based on entertainment value, to escape from the ordinary, to savor well-constructed phrases and different vocabulary, to learn about other times or cultures or emotions?
I would not call Moonrise Over New Jessup an enjoyable book. Many times, because of a slow-moving plot, I set it aside and reached for something more "enjoyable." Yet, I kept returning to it, drawn in by author Jamila Minnicks' evocative writing, e.g., "…when summer whispered into fall…" or "I had never owned anything looking like somebody poured liquid emeralds all over me." I learned new phrases, like "grits o'clock" , "sunrise home", "Thursday tired", and "This cake's already baked."
Some things I questioned because they seemed indicative of a writer describing an era she herself had not lived through. Pantyhose in 1957, the use of the phrase/idea "…students and teachers who look like them", feminine angst over balancing marriage, motherhood and career all seemed to be later developments that distracted from the narrative's authenticity.
Still, although Moonrise was neither an easy nor a pleasant read, it was a valuable one that did enrich my life, and for that reason ,I will be recommending it to my book club—the Fort Wayne Rowdy Readers—as we select our books for next year's readings and discussions.