My latest novel, Smoking Flax, takes place in a community in Louisiana and a small town in Alabama in 1978 and 1984. George Wallace had repented of his racist attitude by this time and on the surface, unity seemed to prevail.
Except it didn’t.
Growin up in northwest Alabama, I knew little about the African-American culture because the schools I attended were all white like the communities I’d lived in. I don’t think people set out to make it that way but communities were basically family and white and black did not mix during that time.
I remember wondering why white people were supposed to marry white people and vice versa. The commonly held belief was it wasn’t so much the marriage but the fact that children might be born of the union and they wouldn’t be accepted in the family or community.
I accepted what was told to me though it made me sad. I grew up with no friends who differed from me in race and I feel I missed out on learning about other cultures. My grandparents immigrated to the United States from Poland and were of Russian/Ukrainian ethnicity. During the cold war with Russia, I never mentioned my background to my classmates for fear of being shunned.
Reed Anderson deals with the same problems. He is half-Greek and his darker skin tones and hair brings on ridicule at times. His best friend, Talitha Landry, mourns the fact that she is African-American in Alabama in the 70s. Here’s a scene where she is talking to Reed.
Talitha glanced behind her. “You’ll have to figure that one out. I need to hurry back home.”
“I’ll walk with you.”
She shook her head. “I’m gonna cut through the woods. Mamaw said better people don’t see us together all the time.”
“Why ever not?”
“She says they’ll talk. Gossip and say mean lies on us. People don’t want us blacks and whites together. Especially male and female.”
“But it’s 1978.” I crossed my arms. “Even our ex-governor George Wallace has repented.”
“Don’t matter none. We’re still in Alabama. And a lot of folks haven’t changed.”
“That’s true. I’ll talk to you later then.” Before she could move, I stepped to her and kissed her cheek. “Nobody’s gonna say anything ’bout what they don’t see.”
She placed her hand to her cheek, then turned and ran.
Times have changed to some degree and that is good. The communities around me consist of white, black, Hispanic and many others. My grandchildren will hopefully see less racism and realize that we are all people made by a loving God who wants us to get along.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7 NKJV
God looks at our hearts. Reed and Talitha are learning this throughout Smoking Flax as thirteen-year-olds in 1978. There are other topics I touch on in the story but Reed’s main struggle is trying to belong. I’ve struggled with the same throughout my life, even as an adult. I believe you’ll enjoy the story and maybe think a little deeper about some of the basic topics in life.
Have you run into prejudice of any kind where you live?
Almost nineteen-year-old Reed Anderson wants to belong in a world where he hasn’t always fit. Three days after graduation, he decides to ride a bus back to Louisiana and deal with the events of his thirteenth summer once and for all. Back then, he’d stood up to his abusive Pa, protecting Momma and his sister, taking control of his life. But who was the faded image of the child he saw that day? Aunt Lula predicted his life would shift and change. Something about space-time-continuum and the fourth dimension. He tucks her words in his heart. If he survives the shift, this could be his chance to start over. But the ghost child haunts his dreams. Even though six years have passed, does he want to confront the lies he’s always believed?
Jennifer Hallmark writes Southern fiction with a twist. Her website and newsletter focus on her books, love of the South, and favorite fiction. She loves reading and streaming science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries or her favorite subject—time travel.
Her latest novel, Smoking Flax, was released on January 16th with Elk Lake Publishing. She creates stories with unforgettable characters—her stories are a little eerie and otherworldly but with a positive turn.
Thank you for letting me share!