Books on Tour: The Girl at the Back of the Bus

Book Description:

"I watched in awe as Miz Rosa stopped those men on the bus with her clear, calm “no” and I thought about that word. What if I said no? What if I refused to follow the path these White folks wanted for us? What if I kept this precious baby?

Montgomery, Alabama, 1955
On a cold December evening, Mattie Banks packs a suitcase and leaves her family home. Sixteen years old and pregnant, she has already made the mistake that will ruin her life and disgrace her widowed mother. Boarding the 2857 bus, she sits with her case on her lap, hoping that the driver will take her away from disaster. Instead, Mattie witnesses an act of bravery by a woman named Rosa Parks that changes everything. But as Mattie strives to turn her life around, the dangers that first led her to run are never far away. Forging a new life in a harsh world at constant risk of exposure, Mattie will need to fight to keep her baby safe.

Atlanta, Georgia, present day
Ashlee Turner is going home. Her relationship in ruins, her career held back by prejudice, she is returning to the family who have always been her rock. But Ashlee’s home is not the safe haven she remembers. Her beloved grandmother is dying and is determined to share her story before she leaves…

When Ashlee finds a stack of yellowing letters hidden in her nana’s closet, she can’t help the curiosity that compels her to read, and she uncovers an old secret that could wreak havoc on her already grieving family. As she tries to make sense of what she has learned, Ashlee faces a devastating choice: to protect her loved ones from the revelations, or honor her grandmother’s wishes and follow the path to the truth, no matter where it may lead.

For readers of The Help, Orphan Train and Before We Were Yours comes a beautiful and heartbreaking novel about redemption, family secrets and the spirit of survival found at the hardest time.

Author Bio:

Suzette D. Harrison, a native Californian and the middle of three daughters, grew up in a home where reading was required, not requested. Her literary "career" began in junior high school with the publishing of her poetry. While Suzette pays homage to Alex Haley, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, Langston Hughes, and Toni Morrison as legends who inspired her creativity, it was Dr. Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings that unleashed her writing. The award-winning author of Taffy is a wife and mother of two teens, and she holds a culinary degree in pastry and baking. Mrs. Harrison is currently cooking up her next novel...in between batches of cupcakes.

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Nerdy Mom Dot Com Review:

The Girl at the Back of the Bus is a beautifully written story about racial injustice in America during the 1950's. The story begins with a teenage girl named Mattie on the city bus in Montgomery trying to travel out of town to handle some very serious and personal grown up business. Unbeknownst to Mattie the particular bus she finds herself on is the same bus that Ms. Rosa Parks boarded and decided to keep her seat instead of handing it over to a white man. Ms. Parks refusal to be moved was the spark that ignited a flame for change against racial discrimination and forever changed our country. 

I greatly enjoyed the writing structure that Suzette D. Harrison employed in writing The Girl at the Back of the Bus. She lays the novel out in flash backs and present day stories that coincide with each other to keep the reader interested throughout the entire novel. I found her description of Mattie and Ashley's home life heartwarming, and their relationship with each other truly beautiful. Being a mother myself I greatly appreciated Ms. Harrison's description about how much and how far a mother will go to ensure the safety and happiness of her child.

Mattie's struggle and persistence throughout the novel laid down the strong family values and relationships that her future generations enjoy. I found The Girl at the Back of the Bus a truly beautiful story about struggle, persistence and family. Segregation was a time in American history that changed our country for the better forever and this beautiful novel gives a glimpse into the turbulence and aftermath of that monumental time in all of our histories. 

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy for an honest review.