Review of Catching Moondrops by Jennifer Erin Valent

Catching Moondrops by Jennifer Erin Valent

Product description:


Jessilyn Lassiter no longer has to convince people she’s not a child. Having just turned 19 in the summer of 1938, her love for Luke Talley has never been more real. And Luke is finally beginning to care for her in the way she’s always dreamed of. But their budding romance is interrupted when Tal Pritchett—a young, black doctor—comes to Calloway, stealing the heart of Jessilyn’s best friend, Gemma, and stirring up the racial prejudice that has been simmering just beneath the town’s surface. The tension starts to bubble over when Jessie’s elderly neighbor Miss Cleta becomes the first white townsperson to accept Tal’s treatment. And when a young black man is lynched, Calloway is brought to its knees once again as Jessilyn realizes that her anger can make her heart as full of hate as the klan members who have terrorized her town and her family.


My Review:


This was a well written book on a very real subject prejudice. I can't imagine living with the fear of the klan coming and burning a cross in my front yard or killing someone just because of there colour but this is what Jessilyn and her family and whole community live with every day. Jessilyn and Gemma are friends with one is white and one is black and this causes issues. Things have been simmering in the community for many years and come to a head. A new doctor comes to town who is black and things get worse when he treats one of Jessilyn's elderly neighbors and is the first white person to be treated by a black doctor. Things ignite with the dead of a black boy and the hate and fear take off. We see how Jessilyn deals with her own feelings and what happens in this community. This book moved me to tears at times and also anger at how people could be so cruel. Having not grown up with this sort of prejudice it made me wonder how I would have dealt with issue. I love how Jennifer tackled the subject and brought it to light. This was a real part of history and this sort of story gives a more personal feel to the subject.
a riveting book.