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Excellent historical fiction following the life and family of Ivoe Williams from the end of slavery to the 1920s, starting in Texas and ending in Missouri. Poignant, beautiful, moving, and incredibly relevant.

A good and important book to alternate with Education of Henry Adams when I needed a break from Adams' lengthy prose. It begins around when Adams wraps up, with the Spanish American War. As a story of a black woman and her family in Texas under Jim Crow, it's a necessary and important narrative contrast to Adams' 19th and early 20th century experiences as a wealthy white male from a famous American family. Very glad I read both. #LitsyAtoZ

This is a beautifully written coming of age/family saga set between 1897 and 1925. It studies a part of American history which is not taught in school and largely ignored by many - the beginning of the African-American press. Jam on the Vine is instructive, poignant, sensual, and a must read. It is what all historical fiction novels should be, however most of them are not. #lashondakatricebarnett #ReadSoulLit #blackpress #blackwomenwrite

This book was excellent. It's rare for me to come across a book that begins not long after the end of the Civil War with a focus on black people. Plus author is black (so most appropriate for writing such a book) and there is diverse representation as far as sexuality. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm liking this book so much that I couldn't leave it behind for my weekend in a beach town.

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Basic civil rights were not contingent on excellence, nor integrity and moral virtue-- with that logic thousands of whites were truly un-American.