Weed Memorial & Hollander Branch Book Discussion via Zoom: Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge

Coming of age in a free Black community in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson is all too aware that her mother, a practicing physician, has a vision for their future together: Libertie is to go to medical school and practice alongside her. But Libertie feels stifled by her mother’s choices. When a young man from Haiti proposes to Libertie and promises she will be his equal, she accepts, only to discover that she is still subordinate to him and all men. As she tries to parse what freedom actually means for a Black woman, Libertie struggles with where she might find it.

Inspired by the life of one of the first Black female doctors in the United States and rich with historical detail, Kaitlyn Greenidge’s novel will resonate with readers eager to understand our present through a deep, moving and lyrical dive into our past.