
Good Dirt
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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January LaVoy
About this listen
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The daughter of an affluent Black family pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom in this moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake, a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
“Engrossing . . . Wilkerson masterfully weaves these threads of love, loss and legacy [into] a thoroughly researched and beautifully imagined family saga.”—The New York Times
When ten-year-old Ebby Freeman heard the gunshot, time stopped. And when she saw her brother, Baz, lying on the floor surrounded by the shattered pieces of a centuries-old jar, life as Ebby knew it shattered as well.
The crime was never solved—and because the Freemans were one of the only Black families in a particularly well-to-do enclave of New England—the case has had an enduring, voyeuristic pull for the public. The last thing the Freemans want is another media frenzy splashing their family across the papers, but when Ebby's high profile romance falls apart without any explanation, that's exactly what they get.
So Ebby flees to France, only for her past to follow her there. And as she tries to process what's happened, she begins to think about the other loss her family suffered on that day eighteen years ago—the stoneware jar that had been in their family for generations, brought North by an enslaved ancestor. But little does she know that the handcrafted piece of pottery held more than just her family's history—it might also hold the key to unlocking her own future.
In this sweeping, evocative novel, Charmaine Wilkerson brings to life a multi-generational epic that examines how the past informs our present.
©2025 Charmaine Wilkerson (P)2025 Random House Audio
Interview: Charmaine Wilkerson delivers another stunning multigenerational family story in "Good Dirt"
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Critic reviews
“Engrossing . . . Wilkerson masterfully weaves these threads of love, loss and legacy through Old Mo’s journey as well as the ongoing mystery of Baz’s murder. The result is a thoroughly researched and beautifully imagined family saga, with a moving and hopeful ending.”—The New York Times
“[A] moving sophomore novel . . . a multigenerational tale about a family haunted by tragedy.”—The Washington Post
“A remarkable exploration of family bonds, grief, heartbreak, friendship, and the deep scars of slavery and racism, Good Dirt seamlessly links the tragedies and resilience of our past in a way that is both brilliantly resonant and heartbreakingly beautiful. Wilkerson’s prose is succinct yet richly evocative, masterfully delving into the minds and motivations of her characters and delivering a narrative that lingers long after the final page . . . This novel solidifies Wilkerson’s place as one of the great multi-generational storytellers of our time.”—Abi Daré, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice
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- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1943, when a frail old white woman shows up in Red Clay, Alabama, at the home of a Black former slave—on the morning following his funeral—his family hardly knows what to expect after she utters the words “… a lifetime ago, my family owned yours.” Adelaide Parker has a story to tell—one of ambition, betrayal, violence, and redemption—that shaped both the fate of her family and that of the late Felix H. Parker. But there are gaps in her knowledge, and she’s come to Red Clay seeking answers from a family with whom she shares a name and a history that neither knows in full.
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Good story, strong characters
- By Amazon Customer on 04-23-25
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Junie
- A Novel
- By: Erin Crosby Eckstine
- Narrated by: Angel Pean
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie has spent her life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter, Violet. Her daydreams are filled with poetry and faraway worlds, while she spends her nights secretly roaming through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie. When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act.
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Delilah June ❤️❤️❤️
- By Mimi Marie C on 04-30-25
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People of Means
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Johnson
- Narrated by: Nancy Johnson, Bahni Turpin
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In the fall of 1959, Freda Gilroy arrives on the campus of Fisk University full of hope, carrying a suitcase and the voice of her father telling her she’s part of a family legacy of greatness. Soon, the ugliness of the Jim Crow South intrudes, and she’s thrust into a movement for social change. Freda is reluctant to get involved, torn between a soon-to-be doctor her parents approve of and an audacious young man willing to risk it all in the name of justice.
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Beautifully Told
- By Dr. Judy A. Alston on 02-19-25
By: Nancy Johnson
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Anita de Monte Laughs Last
- A Novel
- By: Xochitl Gonzalez
- Narrated by: Jessica Pimentel, Jonathan Gregg, Stacy Gonzalez
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten—certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret.
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Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book.
- By Ulissa on 03-14-24
By: Xochitl Gonzalez
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Black Woods, Blue Sky
- A Novel
- By: Eowyn Ivey
- Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Birdie’s keeping it together; of course she is. So she’s a little hungover, sometimes, and she has to bring her daughter, Emaleen, to her job waiting tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge, but she’s getting by as a single mother in a tough town. Still, Birdie can remember happier times from her youth, when she was free in the wilds of nature. Arthur Neilsen, a soft-spoken and scarred recluse who appears in town only at the change of seasons, brings Emaleen back to safety when she gets lost in the woods. Most people avoid him, but to Birdie, he represents everything she’s ever longed for.
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The mixture of fantasy and reality
- By Amazon Customer on 03-23-25
By: Eowyn Ivey
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We Rip the World Apart
- By: Charlene Carr
- Narrated by: Tebby Fisher
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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When 24-year-old Kareela discovers she's pregnant with a child she isn't sure she wants, her struggle to understand her place in the world as a person who is half-Black, half-white—yet feels neither—is amplified. Her mother, Evelyn, fled to Canada with her husband and their first-born child during the politically charged Jamaican exodus in the 1980s, only to realize they'd come to a place where Black men are viewed with suspicion—a constant and pernicious reality Evelyn watches her husband and son navigate daily. Years later, Evelyn's mother-in-law, Violet, moves in.
By: Charlene Carr
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Good Intentions
- Unforgettable Stories of Motherly Love
- By: Rebecca Serle, Kristina McMorris, Charmaine Wilkerson, and others
- Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan, Megan Tusing, Kristyl Dawn Tift, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Motherhood isn’t always what’s expected. One woman may delight in navigating the unknowable, while another may look to the past to chart the course ahead. Still another may have the urge to redefine the relationship between mother and child. For each, the journey can be heartwarming and heartbreaking, ever changing and challenging. In these provocative stories, acclaimed authors probe the growing pains that can change the lives of both mother and child in ways they never imagined.
By: Rebecca Serle, and others
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Isola
- A Novel
- By: Allegra Goodman
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham, Allegra Goodman
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. That journey takes a unexpected turn when Marguerite, accused of betrayal, is brutally punished and abandoned on a small island.
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Keep going
- By Mary on 04-26-25
By: Allegra Goodman
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Fallen Grace
- Blaze Collection
- By: Sadeqa Johnson
- Narrated by: Channie Waites
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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With a newborn in tow, Bubbles Jones escapes a brutal sanctuary for “wayward girls” to confront the hypocritical shame of her pastor father and the betrayal of a lover. But Bubbles is accompanied by a woman who offers her shelter and a dream. Forging an unpredictable path ahead, Bubbles will not yield and will not hide in her unwavering commitment to make a big life real in a world determined to keep her small.
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Give me MORE!!!
- By JoGriff on 06-01-24
By: Sadeqa Johnson
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Zeal
- A Novel
- By: Morgan Jerkins
- Narrated by: January LaVoy, Shayna Small
- Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Spanning over a hundred and fifty years, Morgan Jerkins’s extraordinary novel intertwines the stories of these star-crossed lovers and their descendants. As Tirzah's family moves across the country during the Great Migration, they challenge authority with devastating consequences, while of the legacy of heartbreak and loss continues on in the lives of Harrison's progeny.
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The love of Terza and Harrison lasting centuries
- By Diva Rattler on 04-30-25
By: Morgan Jerkins
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The House of Eve
- By: Sadeqa Johnson
- Narrated by: Ariel Blake, Nicole Lewis, Sadeqa Johnson
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright. Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold.
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This could've been good...
- By Speedreader on 10-13-23
By: Sadeqa Johnson
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Death of the Author
- A Novel
- By: Nnedi Okorafor
- Narrated by: Liz Femi, Anthony Oseyemi, Jason Culp, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In this exhilarating tale by New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor, a disabled Nigerian American woman pens a wildly successful Sci-Fi novel, but as her fame rises, she loses control of the narrative—a surprisingly cutting, yet heartfelt drama about art and love, identity and connection, and, ultimately, what makes us human. This is a story unlike anything you’ve seen before.
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Her best yet?
- By Emily on 01-22-25
By: Nnedi Okorafor
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Three Days in June
- A Novel
- By: Anne Tyler
- Narrated by: J. Smith-Cameron
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit. But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.
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Simple, Enjoyable, performed 5 stars
- By PM on 02-14-25
By: Anne Tyler
What listeners say about Good Dirt
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- @braidingangels
- 02-13-25
History is one of my heart strings
@ Brownsugabc wanted to choose an amazing Author for the month of black history. And Charmaine left no crumbs behind with this book. I was completely full from reading. I felt like a kid in the front seat of history class. I was all ears from beginning to end! I finished with more than I expected. Such a knowledgeable book. Very much enjoyed it.
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- Brenda C.
- 02-06-25
Ten Stars
"The mind cannot be chained" was the engravement. This novel echoed that with imaginative storytelling that kept you engaged throughout . The Freedman family will be engraved in my mind with its depth of characters and richness of history concerning a particular jar. Such an excellent read!
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- C. Kelly
- 01-31-25
Compelling!
This beautifully written story had me hooked immediately. The rich history of how enslaved people contributed to the beauty of the world, while unfolding the traumatic story of Basil, and Ebony and the family navigating of life while also reckoning with the trauma, the attention, and the reality of everything was just masterfully intertwined. I loved the opportunity to hear each characters thoughts and perspectives throughout time. Beautiful!
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- Simply Windy
- 02-26-25
Generational Stories
Charmine Wilkerson did it again. Good Dirt is full of generational stories, some family trauma due to a murder that was left unsolved and how the family has not been healed. There’s a bit of drama and romance. Truly enjoyed this book.
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- Chels
- 03-06-25
Hold the Moment
This was a deep dive through the minds of so many and so many perspectives. I don’t know if it’s me being the same age as Ebby, reading about the trade routes while visiting the area, or just the light of strong black people fighting for freedom but WOW
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- MyLastRomanceNovel
- 03-01-25
Moments of brilliance
My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
In Short: Many moments of brilliance and some great commentary on many important topics and a great exposition of grief, but the brilliance is slightly lessened by some loose threads and some disjointed themes.
General Thoughts: This was a book club read. Similar to Black Cake, I enjoyed a lot about the book. Many moments in this book shone and were really thought-provoking. I loved how Charmaine really delved into grief and also how intergenerational trauma can complicate that grief. I also loved the symbolism and history of the jar. Charmaine is at her best when she dips into family lore, and the snippets into the past were really one done. There was a lot to love about this book.
However, at the conclusion of part two, I found myself thinking, how are we only halfway through the book? The book is only 368 pages, but it felt so much longer. I think that's indicative of some of the pacing issues in the book. Now, there were many parts of Parts 3 and 4 that I absolutely loved, but the book at times felt disjointed or like some threads didn't fully connect. I felt it could have benefited from some pruning and tightening up a bit. Some characters and POVs felt like they cluttered the story. I said I felt like the author tried to do too much in book one all at once, and I felt that way here, too. But I would definitely read more by the author because I think she'll get there. Lots to love about this book, but some parts were hard to get through.
Tropes:
-historical fiction
-multi pOV
-family saga
-family mystery
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amberly Noble
- 02-23-25
Fantastic performance of an outstanding story
My gosh, this book was complex with complicated but believable characters and the layers of history that shaped them. The reading was truly acting and took you directly into the moment. This was one of the best audio books I have ever, ever read.
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- Christina Jenkins
- 03-08-25
Absolutely Beautiful!
Charmaine Wilkerson doesn’t miss! I cried like a baby at the end! This story was more than beautifully crafted. I can’t wait to read more by her! 🥹
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- Carmen San Diego
- 03-24-25
Yummy 😋
This novel was soooooo delicious I couldn't stop listening!!!!!!!!!! Each character (ingredients) storyline (stock) and woven together lives (seasoning) kept me hungry for more. I have been blessed 🙌🏽
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- Stacey
- 03-11-25
Great Historical and Love Story
Absolutely Love this book. I dont hear much about my people and I truly appreciated hearing facts of the Boston Old culture.
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