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Good Dirt

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Good Dirt

By: Charmaine Wilkerson
Narrated by: January LaVoy
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

When Ebby Freeman travels to France to take a three-month hiatus from her complicated home life, the last person she expects to find is her ex-fiancé Henry, with his new girlfriend in tow.
Nearly twenty years earlier, the Freemans were the only African American family living in a wealthy coastal enclave in Connecticut when armed robbers invaded their family home and tragedy changed their lives forever.

Then, just as Ebby thought she had a new chance at happiness, her storybook romance with Henry fell apart.

Now, this unexpected encounter with Henry will force Ebby to reckon with her past and to think on the other loss her family suffered that day – the destruction of a beloved stoneware jar crafted by an enslaved ancestor and passed down through the generations. A piece that might hold not only her family history, but also the key to reclaiming her future.

©2025 Charmaine Wilkerson (P)2025 Penguin Audio African American Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic reviews

A remarkable exploration of family bonds, grief, heartbreak, friendship, and the deep scars of slavery and racism... Wilkerson’s prose is succinct yet richly evocative, masterfully delving into the minds and motivations of her characters and delivering a narrative that lingers long after the final page... This novel solidifies Wilkerson's place as one of the great multi-generational storytellers of our time. (Abi Daré, bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice)
What a beautiful and masterfully crafted story. I’m in utter awe of Charmaine. I found Ebby’s story just heartbreaking, but ultimately it left me thinking deeply about the process of healing from unspeakable pain and building the muscle of resilience... Charmaine is the real deal - she has SUCH a talent for every aspect of storytelling. I fell in love with her characters; I was gripped by her plot; I adore her words. (Harriet Constable, author of The Instrumentalist)
A masterclass in storytelling, world-building and drawing characters who feel so real you can reach out to the page and feel them reaching back out toward you. Good Dirt is a searing portrait of grief, of death and life and the truth that one without the other does not exist, that to find new life does not always mean forgetting the past, but reshaping and rebuilding it and realising all the remarkable ways in which it can be reforged. Charmaine Wilkerson is a stunning writer, whose brilliance knows no adequate words, and whose characters will live long in my memory. (Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us)
A sensational intergenerational story about hidden heartbreak, hope, and the restorative power of embracing and sharing one's ancestry. A story not only told incredibly well, but most importantly, a pleasure to read. (Jessica George, author of MAAME)
A writer of extraordinary gifts. She can capture the arc of a family story like none other. This kaleidoscopic novel of love, loss, and triumph will sit with you for a long time after you finish the last page (Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Take My Hand)
Charmaine Wilkerson has a superb talent for showing how contemporary characters’ lives are entwined with the past, creating a story that is rich in compassion and hope – and utterly engrossing. (Jo Leevers, author of Tell Me How It Ends)
A beautiful and intertwining novel that will capture your heart. With a family heirloom at the heart of the story, it has rich characters and a powerfully complex tale spanning through generations. (Sophia Spiers, author of The Family Home)

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Profile Image for Heather Nesom

A richly woven tale

This is a richly woven tale that explores the fabric of a family’s history and of a nation’s history through their personal stories. This was thoroughly enjoyable and I would recommend. It was performed beautifully and I found the way it played with different voices and timelines.

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Loved this book

Excellent story well narrated kept me hooked all the way with the various twists. Each of the main characters had a back story which intermingles with each other so well.

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