#65 In the Shadow of Alabama

In the Shadow of Alabama
By Judy Reene Singer

I loved this book. Based on the story of the author's life, it tells of Rachel, a daughter trying to understand her father's life. He was an angry man for as long as she knew him, and her mother spent all her energy keeping him calm, to the detriment of her two daughters.

At her father's funeral, and Jewish funeral, a black woman appears and gives a record of Duke Ellington's "A" Train to Rachel. This strange act prompts her to find out who the woman was, and to meet her father, Willie, a black man who had served in her father's regiment during WWII.

A story of sisters, a broken family, racism and violence, of blacks and Jews in Alabama, of planes that crashed and problems that were solved. A very interesting and well written novel about a rare piece of history.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommendation: YES!