When Stars Rain Down
Angela Jackson-Brown
Thomas Nelson
April 13, 2021
368 pages
Historical Fiction
Opal Pruitt is the star of this book. The book is set in 1930s Georgia in a small town called Parsons. The town is divided into the white section and the section named Colored Town. Opal lives in Colortown along with her Granny. They both work for a white household in Parsons as cook/housekeeper(s). This is a coming of age story that also deals with racial issues.
Racial relations are very strained. Definitely black and white. The KKK makes its presence known, with no compassionate thoughts towards its targets. There is an unwritten code of conduct within Colored Town when it comes to dealing with the KKK.
Opal understands her place in society but longs for a sense of betterment, she does not want to keep house for someone as a lifetime career. Because she works for a white family, she has developed a good relationship with them.
Every character in this story stands out. Opal’s family of Granny, uncles and cousins are fiercely loyal and protective of each other. There are good characters and bad characters. They are equally well portrayed.
This book has many themes: friendship, loyalty, family, strength, hope and the power of a close community.
The ending is very dramatic and emotional. Ms. Jackson- Brown’s style of writing drew me right into the story. I felt as if I was living among the characters.
There were some beautiful descriptive passages. This book will stay with me for a long time.
While The Stars Rain Down is classified as Historical Fiction, I believe that a sub-classification could be Young Adult Fiction. There is a lot to be learned from reading this book.
The quote I liked from this book:
“White folks always thinking they know what’s best for Colored folks, then when they mess up, they try to act all sorry.”
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Angela Jackson-Brown
Thank you so much for this beautiful review. You made my morning. Writers always worry that maybe they missed the mark. It is so helpful to have reviewers like you to validate that we did accomplish what we were after. Thank you for all that you do to support books!