Maura Cheeks

Acts of Forgiveness by Maura Cheeks is not a philosophical essay on whether atonement and reparations for the horrors of slavery is possible. To me, a packaged fictional resolution would undermine the questions. This book instead poses the questions in the story of one woman. It is about a search for the past and the complicated history it reveals. The questions and the search will stay with me for a long time.

Read my complete review at show more target="_top">http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2025/10/acts-of-forgiveness.html

Reviewed for NetGalley. show less

Sadly, this book is definitely fiction as I can’t imagine the US Congress passing an “Act of Forgiveness” as restitution for Black Americans with an enslaved ancestor. While a monetary payment of $175,000 by the government may try to help to heal the past, it’s going to take a lot more than that.

It's engaging, thought provoking and disturbing to think about the brutal treatment that happened in our country by slave owners. However, leaders haven’t addressed the prejudice, hatred show more and anger resulting in violence to Blacks and it’s not going away. This story profiles one of 40 million Black families in the US with an ancestor from the past that was taken from their African home and used as a slave by force.

It's well written with a good storyline that proposes the possibility of a better future – one which could bring the country together. However, can this “Act of Forgiveness” address generations of heated disputes with a payment of money? The author shares her vision that approaches this subject with a predictable aftermath.

But there’s more in the book with family and friend relationships. A father owns a successful business and needs help from of one of his adult children. A single mother struggles to do what’s right for her young daughter. And then there’s a romance that gets mixed into the pages. This would be an excellent book discussion.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 13, 2024. show less

This was a powerful idea with biting social ideas. I found the idea of reparations fascinating and the dollar amount shocking. I found the struggle of the family to track the lineage so touching. But this one was a bit bogged down in the past. We spent a lot of time juggling the family and I would have loved to have spent more time in the now and how this act affected the people. But there were so many good statements, so many good lines, this was a great audiobook! It made me think and show more struggle with the right answers.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less

This alternate history book really makes you think about collective forgiveness and what that would looks like in practice.