Acts of Forgiveness
by Maura Cheeks
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“A vibrant and moving debut that takes to heart our deferred dreams and the value of remaining hopeful.”—Diane Marie Brown, author of Black Candle WomenHow much of their lineage is one family willing to unearth in order to participate in the nation’s first federal reparations program?
Every American waits with bated breath to see whether or not the country’s first female president will pass the Forgiveness Act. The bill would allow Black families to claim up to $175,000 if they show more can prove they are the descendants of slaves, and for ambitious single mother Willie Revel the bill could be a long-awaited form of redemption. A decade ago, Willie gave up her burgeoning journalism career to help run her father’s struggling construction company in Philadelphia and she has reluctantly put family first, without being able to forget who she might have become. Now she’s back living with her parents and her young daughter while trying to keep her family from going into bankruptcy. Could the Forgiveness Act uncover her forgotten roots while also helping save their beloved home and her father’s life’s work?
In order to qualify, she must first prove that the Revels are descended from slaves, but the rest of the family isn’t as eager to dig up the past. Her mother is adopted, her father doesn’t trust the government and believes working with a morally corrupt employer is the better way to save their business, and her daughter is just trying to make it through the fifth grade at her elite private school without attracting unwanted attention. It’s up to Willie to verify their ancestry and save her family—but as she delves into their history, Willie begins to learn just how complicated family and forgiveness can be.
With powerful insight and moving prose, Acts of Forgiveness asks how history shapes who we become and considers the weight of success when it is achieved despite incredible odds—and ultimately what leaving behind a legacy truly means. show less
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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 http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2025/10/acts-of-forgiveness.html
Reviewed for NetGalley.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2025/10/acts-of-forgiveness.html
Reviewed for NetGalley.
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 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 show more 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
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 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 show more 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 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.
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.
This alternate history book really makes you think about collective forgiveness and what that would looks like in practice.
unintended consequences of a good thing.
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