Johnson, J: My Monticello

‘ELECTRIFYING‘ Colson Whitehead ‘ABSOLUTELY UNFORGETTABLE‘ Roxane Gay At a time of rolling blackouts and terrible storms battering America, the neighbourhood of First Street, Charlottesville comes under attack by violent white supremacists. A group of friends, families and strangers flee together in an abandoned bus and head for the hills above town. Led by Da‘Naisha Love, they arrive at Monticello, the historic plantation-home of Thomas Jefferson, deserted but for its ghosts. As a young Black descendant of Jefferson and Sally Hemings, Da‘Naisha has a complex relationship with the house. Tentative at first, the group explores rooms, forages on the grounds, and finds a kind of shelter. But the terror from their town is coming closer, and soon they have an impossible decision to make. My Monticello is the story of nineteen heart-stopping days of refuge and reclamation, told by Da‘Naisha with courage and with grace. This deeply moving novel is a searing indictment of racism past and present, and a powerful vision of resistance, community and hope. ‘ONE OF THE FINEST NOVELS OF 2021 and A FUTURE CLASSIC‘ The Bookseller Early readers love My Monticello (reviews from NetGalley): ‘So much to love... A truly astonishing debut‘ ***** ‘What an incredible voice she has‘ ***** ‘Deserves the praise heaped upon it‘ ***** ‘Johnson‘s writing is vivid and bold‘ **** ‘The end is terrific, terrifying and mind blowing‘ **** ‘Raw, powerful and a great contemporary voice‘ **** ‘Definitely deserves a spot on your reading list‘ ****