Tomorrow's Bread

By: Anna Jean Mayhew

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1961 Charlotte, North Carolina, the predominantly black neighborhood of Brooklyn is a bustling city within a city. Self-contained and vibrant, it has its own restaurants, schools, theaters, churches, and night clubs. There are shotgun shacks and poverty, along with well-maintained houses like the one Loraylee Hawkins shares with her young son, Hawk, her Uncle Ray, and her grandmother, Bibi. Loraylee's love for Archibald Griffin, Hawk's white father and manager of the cafeteria where she works, must be kept secret in the segregated South.

Loraylee has heard rumors that the city plans to bulldoze her neighborhood, claiming it's dilapidated and dangerous. The government promises to provide new housing and relocate businesses. But locals like Pastor Ebenezer Polk, who's facing the demolition of his church, know the value of Brooklyn does not lie in bricks and mortar. Generations have lived, loved, and died here, supporting and strengthening each other. Yet street by street, longtime residents are being forced out. And Loraylee, searching for a way to keep her family together, will form new alliances - and find an unexpected path that may yet lead her home.

©2019 Anna Jean Mayhew (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Rich historical fiction

Characters are so authentic I felt like I was sitting for a spell with each one of them. Learning of the path of redevelopment is a must read for those who continue to displace homes for the sake of the singular goal of money.

Wonderful Story!

I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator. I appreciated her interpretation of the voices of each character. This story was very well written and I enjoyed each character's story within the overall plot.

Great Southern Fiction!

This was a wonderful family story, if sad in ways, but this family truly shows you what it means to be a family.

The gentrification of “blight” in Charleston but the people living in those houses didn’t think of them as blight they were home and neighborhood.
“Misery is when you heard on the radio that the neighborhood you live in is a slum, but you’ve always thought it was home.”
---Langston Hughes

The city and some businessmen shoved these people out of their homes without giving them enough to buy new or a new neighborhood because this the 60’s in the south so the options for these folks was limited.

Loraylee is a strong woman and mother to her son Hawk , don’t want to spoil the story so just enjoy how her story unfolds.

There is a side story which unfortunately wasn’t fleshed out as much as I had hoped I’d like to see more of Percy.
One other little qualm is I wish the time jumps had been marked with even a date it was a little jarring at times.

This is southern fiction at its finest.

Allyson Johnson’s narration is fabulous everyone has their voice and her accents were great. I would highly recommend this book on audio because Johnson brings these characters to life!

4 Stars

Mandatory reading for every Charlottean

Like so many of my neighbors, I'm not from Charlotte but chose this beautiful city to live in. It's s important for transplants like me, to understand the history of the city. It''s beauty and prosperity is the result of decisions made which destroyed families and neighborhoods. This is a beautiful story and the best narration of an audio book that I have ever listened to.

Sorry to see it end!

I really appreciated the voices of the storytelling. Hearing from all the various voices within the story kept my interest and made me feel invested. I cannot wait to go to Charlotte and see the places discussed in the book!

delightful and informative

A delightful and informative read that tugged at my heart strings bringing me to tears at times.

Rich History

Beautifully written story with amazing character development. I am so glad I gave this book a chance. I didn't want it to end.

wonderful story

I loved this book. narration was fantastic. I learned so much more about this period in time and perspective. I really love it

Too many loose ends

The book s was a series of vignettes that were never well tied together. Plot was not well developed or fleshed out.