A new month means all new book reviews at THP! We have a packed month this September, but we’ll start with a new historical novel. Veronica Chambers’ Ida, in Love and in Trouble draws inspiration from the life of Ida B. Wells, prolific American journalist, educator, and civil rights leader.
Hopefully, you’ll remember the iconic Ida B. Wells from your American history classes. But Ida, in Love and in Trouble dives into her early life after the death of her parents during the yellow fever epidemic.
We travel from 1885 to 1895, following Ida’s journey as an educator, a journalist, and a prominent leader in the fight for civil rights. Here are three things we love about Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers!
Book Overview: Ida, In Love and In Trouble
Content Warnings: death by lynching, hate crimes, racism, sexism, segregation, discrimination, violence, hate speech and death threats, mention of assault and rape
Summary: Before she became a warrior, Ida B. Wells was an incomparable flirt with a quick wit and a dream of becoming a renowned writer. The first child of newly freed parents who thrived in a community that pulsated with hope and possibility after the Civil War, Ida had a big heart, big ambitions, and even bigger questions: How to be a good big sister when her beloved parents perish in a yellow fever epidemic? How to launch her career as a teacher? How to make and keep friends in a society that seems to have no place for a woman who speaks her own mind? And – always top of mind for Ida – how to find a love that will let her be the woman she dreams of becoming?
Ahead of her time by decades, Ida B. Wells pioneered the field of investigative journalism with her powerful reporting on violence against African Americans. Her name became synonymous with courage and an unflinching demand for racial and gender equality. But there were so many facets to Ida Bell and critically acclaimed writer Veronica Chamber unspools her full and colorful life as Ida comes of age in the rapidly changing South, filled with lavish society dances and parties, swoon-worthy gentleman callers, and a world ripe for the taking.
The Historical Figures We Meet
If you could have a meal with any historical figure, who would it be? Ida, in Love and in Trouble feeds our imagination with all the historical figures Ida B. Wells works with and meets throughout her lifetime, from Catherine Impey and Mary Jones to Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass even becomes a mentor and fatherly figure to her. Then there are the dozens of newspaper publishers and editors who have worked with Ida. And we’re in awe at just how interconnected history can be sometimes.
Her Diary Entries
Another thing we love about Ida, in Love and in Trouble is reading the excerpts from Ida’s diary entries. Even though it took place more than one hundred years ago, we felt we could visualize Ida’s life as it happened. And her diary entries give us a deeper look into who Ida was. She was bold and outspoken, someone far ahead of her time. No matter how much trouble she got into or how many powerful people she upset from her speeches and anti-lynching campaign, Ida B. Wells did not back down.
The Romance
Not only do we get glimpses of Ida B. Wells’ career and professional life, but we also look inside her personal life. In her early 20s, she had several suitors with whom she exchanged letters, including Isaiah Graham, Louis Brown, and Charles Morris. Her courtships eventually ended for different reasons ranging from them marrying someone else or their personalities being incompatible with Ida’s. But the romance completely changes for the better when Ida and her future husband, Ferdinand Barnett, start courting. (This doesn’t count as a spoiler, right?)
Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers offers us an inspiring, loveable, and relatable lens into the life of Ida B. Wells, a leader whose impact we can still feel today.
Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers releases September 10th, and you can preorder a copy of it here!
What do you think of Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers? How much do you know about Ida B. Wells already? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
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