Promise

A Novel

By: Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Narrated by: Imani Parks

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Two Black sisters growing up in small-town New England fight to protect their home, their bodies, and their dreams as the Civil Rights Movement sweeps the nation in Promise, a “magical, magnificent novel” (Marlon James) from “a startlingly fresh voice” (Jacqueline Woodson).

A KIRKUS REVIEWS AND CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

The people of Salt Point could indeed be fearful about the world beyond themselves; most of them would be born and die without ever having gone more than twenty or thirty miles from houses that were crammed with generations of their families. . . . But something was shifting at the end of summer 1957.

The Kindred sisters—Ezra and Cinthy—have grown up with an abundance of love. Love from their parents, who let them believe that the stories they tell on stars can come true. Love from their neighbors, the Junketts, the only other Black family in town, whose home is filled with spice-rubbed ribs and ground-shaking hugs. And love for their adopted hometown of Salt Point, a beautiful Maine village perched high up on coastal bluffs.

But as the girls hit adolescence, their white neighbors, including Ezra’s best friend, Ruby, start to see their maturing bodies and minds in a different way. And as the news from distant parts of the country fills with calls for freedom, equality, and justice for Black Americans, the white villagers of Salt Point begin to view the Kindreds and the Junketts as threats to their way of life. Amid escalating violence, prejudice, and fear, bold Ezra and watchful Cinthy must reach deep inside the wells of love they’ve built to commit great acts of heroism and grace on the path to survival.

In luminous, richly descriptive writing, Promise celebrates one family’s story of resistance. It’s a book that will break your heart—and then rebuild it with courage, hope, and love.

©2023 Rachel Eliza Griffiths (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A luminous coming-of-age story set in 1950s Maine . . . [Griffiths was] someone I wished to read again and again.”—Kaitlyn Greenidge for Harper’s Bazaar

“Promise beautifully captures how teenagers become more aware of everything around them and wonder about their place in the world. . . . Rachel Eliza Griffiths expertly tells a story of racial tension and discrimination, self-exploration, and the simple right to exist amid the spread of the Civil Rights Movement in Maine.”—BookBrowse

“Luminescent. . . . a devastating story of remarkable resilience.”—The Christian Science Monitor

Back at it!

This was such a well written story with rich characters. I felt swept away into the depths of the story. This was my first book I started and finished on this platform. Excellent read!

Powerful!

A deeply emotional and touching novel that highlights perspectives and parts of history we must remember particularly since we are not truly removed from them. At least, not yet.

Beautiful in every way

A story about the enduring strength of family, sisterhood, and the power of forgiveness, all against a stacked deck of racism and terror.

Moved me to tears

I loved the honest emotions of the characters as they strive to ‘just live’ in a world that wants to take it all away from them. I felt each heartache, each anger, each loving moment. Highly recommended!