OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile
Like the characters that inspired them, the four March sisters in this remix are coming of age against the backdrop of the American Civil War. This audiobook is performed well for its young adult audience. Adenrele Ojo offers a theatrical delivery that will engage young listeners, and no prior knowledge of the Alcott original is needed to enjoy these characters and their experiences. Sometimes Ojo's vocal renditions are too precious—young Amy is easily distinguished from the group thanks to her strident babyish tone—and Ojo's sentences consistently end with a distracting plaintive ring in her voice. However, once immersed in the thought-provoking perspective of young people living in post-Emancipation America, young listeners will have much to think about and appreciate. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 09/27/2021
In this reinvention of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 classic, Morrow highlights with impressive acuity the four March sisters, Black young women who come of age in the shadow of the American Civil War. After being emancipated by President Lincoln’s Proclamation in 1863, the Marches build a home on Roanoke Island, a budding Freedpeople Colony. Irrepressible adoptive daughter Amethyst, 14, longs to be the center of attention; levelheaded seamstress Bethlehem, 16, battles an unknown illness; tempestuous builder Joanna, 17, pursues writing; and Meg the teacher, 19, longs to marry. The family’s passionate contributions to the Union war effort are disrupted by the arrival of Joseph Williams, “a handsome, young Black man... from up north” who was “born free.” Suddenly, all four sisters must confront the challenges of building happy lives amid the ruins of the past. Via delicately written characterizations, each March woman exemplifies the notion that the wounds of bondage don’t disappear simply because freedom is at hand, and the racist catalyst of enslavement doesn’t disappear with the stroke of a pen, as a beloved story gains new meaning through the lens of enduring Black resilience, love, and hope. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 13–up. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Praise for So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A 2022 ALA Rise Top Ten Selection
"Morrow’s ability to take the lingering stain of slavery on American history and use it as a catalyst for unbreakable love and resilience is flawless. That she has remixed a canonical text to do so only further illuminates the need to critically question who holds the pen in telling our nation’s story." —Booklist, starred review
"Morrow's nuanced take on what life was like for newly freed Black people at this time will prompt readers to reconsider the simplistic good vs. evil, North vs. South mythologies that characterize too many Civil War narratives. ... Alcott fans and newcomers alike will find much to appreciate in Morrow's sophisticated remix." —BookPage, starred review
"Impressive ... Via delicately written characterizations, each March woman exemplifies the notion that the wounds of bondage don’t disappear simply because freedom is at hand, and the racist catalyst of enslavement doesn’t disappear with the stroke of a pen, as a beloved story gains new meaning through the lens of enduring Black resilience, love, and hope." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Skillful ... Readers learn about the tenuous nature of Reconstruction, clashes between the newly emancipated and those born free, and the repatriation efforts of the American Colonization Society." —School Library Journal
"Bethany C. Morrow's prose is a sharpened blade in a practiced hand, cutting to the core of our nation's history. So Many Beginnings' reckonings with race reverberate across time to challenge not just the stories we've been told, but the voices who have told them. A devastatingly precise reimagining and a joyful celebration of sisterhood. A narrative about four young women who unreservedly deserve the world, and a balm for wounds to Black lives and liberty." —Tracy Deonn, New York Times-bestselling author of Legendborn
"A tender and beautiful retelling that will make you fall in love with the foursome all over again." —Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times-bestselling author of White Smoke and Grown
"Bethany C. Morrow is reinvigorating the canon one book at a time—her work is a gift to us all. If there's one writer I trust to take on the iconic March sisters and make Black girls the center of their timeless story, it's her. This remix is a hit." —Leah Johnson, bestselling author of You Should See Me in a Crown
"Morrow is one of the most exciting voices in young adult literature today! So Many Beginnings is the most brilliant retelling of Little Women that I’ve ever encountered. Morrow transports her readers back in time so that we feel as if we are truly there. The pacing is perfect, the characterization is spot on, and the story leaps off the page. This is the kind of humanizing tale that I longed for as a child and tween immersed in the long-ago worlds of Louisa May Alcott and Lucy Maud Montgomery." —Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, World Fantasy Award-winning author of The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to The Hunger Games
"So Many Beginnings may call itself a Little Women remix, but it’s a Little Women revelation—an instant classic all its own. With tenderness, strength, and laugh-out-loud wit, Morrow’s March sisters give unique voice to many often neglected historical moments and nuanced perspectives during the Civil War through a familiar lens: the incomparable bond of family and sisterhood. Fans of Little Women will appreciate the striking, creative new depths Morrow explored for these beloved characters, but any reader, regardless of how well they know the March sisters, will be deeply moved by this book." —Emma Lord, New York Times–bestselling author of You Have a Match and Tweet Cute
"An instant classic with the boundless warmth, wisdom and heart of the story it revisits and reframes. Morrow makes it impossible not to fall in love with the March family all over again." —Laura E. Weymouth, author of The Light Between Worlds
"Beautifully written and utterly vital." —Nerdist
"Readers who want to see much more Black joy in historical fiction will be richly rewarded. ... Brilliantly combines the escapism and relatability of a YA coming-of-age novel with the necessary work of reclaiming narratives and perspectives previously erased from the American literary canon." —Den of Geek
Praise for A Song Below Water:
"Morrow expertly and smartly explores race, bigotry, oppression, and injustice against a backdrop of ordinary life with a dose of the supernatural added to the mix. ... A Song Below Water is a must-read for lovers of fantasy and contemporary stories alike." —Booklist, starred review
"Morrow has deftly woven a contemporary tale with mythical elements to take on the invisibility and marginalization of Black women, touching on issues such as misogynoir, body image, social justice, and generational trauma. ... Empowering and innovative. ... Morrow elevates mermaids and sirens to legitimate and compelling vanguards for social change." —School Library Journal
"How the many different plot points come together, along with a startling family mystery, a terrifying nightmare from the past, and bullying that goes way too far, is what makes A Song Below Water a book of the highest literary quality that stands far above others in the field. ... In as much as A Song Below Water is thrilling and intense and utilizes truly gorgeous language, I found it to also be a tender and somewhat wistful novel." —Locus
"From sirens to mermaids to sprites and gargoyles, the magic is familiar—but different enough to be exciting. Morrow ... tackles anti-Blackness and white supremacy head-on, while still giving Tavia and Effie the space to be realistic, flawed teenagers. ... In this magic-infused version of America, having a voice is literally a superpower—a powerful message for the times we're living in." —NPR
"A watery and melodic crossroads of the real and the mythic, A Song Below Water lures readers with its seductive and beautifully Black siren song. An enthralling tale of Black girl magic and searing social commentary ready to rattle the bones.” —Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times-bestselling author of The Belles series
School Library Journal
09/01/2021
Gr 7 Up—In this skillful retelling of Little Women, Morrow reimagines the lives of the Alcott sisters through multiple lenses. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are four African American sisters rebuilding their lives after the Civil War. Meg wonders if her dreams of a husband and home are out of reach. Jo needs to find the courage to use her voice to further the cause of saving the colony built by the newly emancipated. Beth's health issues may require an unimaginable trip, and Amy simply wants to chart her own course through the medium of dance. The bonds of sisterhood are tested amid the backdrop of a country trying to forge a new path forward. Although the chains of slavery have been removed, the sisters find that they are still operating under a system that considers them not up to the task of governing their own lives. The constraints of class, race, gender, and the fragile nature of emancipation affect all four sisters in different ways. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy support one another as they summon the courage to continue rebuilding and forging a new future. Readers learn about the tenuous nature of Reconstruction, clashes between the newly emancipated and those born free, and the repatriation efforts of the American Colonization Society. The fragility of the hope held by emancipated African Americans is palpable in this narrative. VERDICT This title is ideal for public and school libraries looking for diverse retellings of classic stories.—Desiree Thomas, Worthington Lib., OH
OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile
Like the characters that inspired them, the four March sisters in this remix are coming of age against the backdrop of the American Civil War. This audiobook is performed well for its young adult audience. Adenrele Ojo offers a theatrical delivery that will engage young listeners, and no prior knowledge of the Alcott original is needed to enjoy these characters and their experiences. Sometimes Ojo's vocal renditions are too precious—young Amy is easily distinguished from the group thanks to her strident babyish tone—and Ojo's sentences consistently end with a distracting plaintive ring in her voice. However, once immersed in the thought-provoking perspective of young people living in post-Emancipation America, young listeners will have much to think about and appreciate. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
