Golden Poppies: A Novel Paperback – June 1, 2020

I am truly enjoying this series. It tracks as being relevant to existing history. I can’t wait to get back to my reading!

The third in Ibraim's series of historical novels that follow two families, one black and one white, Golden Poppies picks up the story with the second and third generations. The characters are empathetic and the realities faced by black Americans in the 1890s are accurately presented through the lives of family members as they move to Oakland, CA. Also accurate are the depictions of w omen's disadvantages according to law and popular culture. I read this in a little over one day. Ibraim tells a good story generally effectively. My only criticism is the over use of certain descriptions--of tears, of how emotion tastes or effects the body. I've read 4 of her books so far and that small annoyance will not keep me from reading. We need to be reading about black and white families' interactions historically and to see positive if tentative ways people connected as peers. I loved the inclusion of Ida B. Wells-Barnett. Fredrick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, the Pullman strike, historic Oakland.

When I started reading this book, I did not know that it is part of a series. I am glad I didn’t as I would have passed on this book. If you are reluctant to jump into the middle of a series (as I am), I assure you that this book did fine as a stand-alone. I enjoyed the historical aspects of the story – the Pullman Strike, women’s suffrage, the anti-lynching campaign, and the fight for racial equality. But the best part of the book were the two families at the core of the story.At the beginning of the book, Lisbeth and her daughter Sadie journey from Oakland CA to Chicago so Lisbeth can be with her childhood nanny and wet-nurse Mattie. Upon arrival in Oakland Sadie meets other members of Mattie’s family – daughter Jordan and granddaughter Naomi. It is now the 1890s and these two families – one from a wealthy plantation owner, the other slaves on that plantation – have a long history with each other.I truly cared about the characters, holding my breath when some of them were threatened and endangered. The story invoked a wide range of emotions within me – grief, joy, fear, anger, triumph, pride.I enjoyed Ibrahim’s smooth style of writing and will be reading more of her books. If you love a story with strong female characters, I highly recommend her books.My favorite quote: “You set your fear right next to your hope until you know which one is your truth.”

It’s a good read. It took too long to get to the interesting part of the book. It pick up half way through and it became a good read.

I love the writing, the plot, the characters. I’ll be so sad when I read all of them. Love Laila

I am disappointed, but I know that this is the way that History actually happened.I am ashamed of the way that so many of my race acted toward the people of different colors than ours, especially the Black Lives!This book is good, along with the whole series, very worth reading, especially taking the time to reflect on what you are reading!

This is the 4th book in the series. The entire series is an excellent depiction of 2 families intertwined from their beginnings in Virginia before the Civil War to northern California as World War I ends. Both families have very strong women who make decisions which hold their growing families together through a tumultuous time in history.I was born in 1951 in Chicago, IL and was taught from a very different experience. Our history texts taught that this country was founded on religious freedom. European settlers came here to have freedoms that they didn't have at home. But, they brought with them captured African peoples who they then enslaved, and treated them as their own property. They bought and sold them, forever separating families and decided it was ok because these "civilized" European settlers believed the African peoples were subhuman. Even after the end of the Civil War one race decided they were superior and continued to pass laws to take away the rights of anyone who was not white. I was taught that these settlers were peaceful and had to also annihilate the Native Americans and enslave them to protect the rights of the ruling white race. I grew up seeing signs that certain water fountains, bathrooms, stores, parks, etc were "white only"I could not understand why this was. It was appalling to witness this. This country may have come a long way, but it still has a long way to go. This series is a depiction of what a family can be when they respect all people regardless of skin color, religion, mental or physical capacity, economic status, etc and are loyal to teaching others what love really means.

I was pulled into this story that compares and contrasts the lives of a black mother and daughter and a white mother and daughter.The families’ connection has existed for decades, since before the Civil War when the black family were slaves of the white family.This book shows us the history of the times through the lives of these women. We get a sense of what the Gilded Age meant for both white and black people. We see the suffragist movement through those twin lenses as well. The strained race relations after the Civil War are explored. I always enjoy historical fiction, where we see how what happened during a tempestuous time affects the lives of characters (especially ones like these who seem so real). Its also a fascinating look at how Oakland may have been over a hundred years ago.