The Secret of Magic

The Secret of Magic

Author: Visit Amazon's Deborah Johnson Page | Language: English | ISBN: 0399157727 | Format: PDF

The Secret of Magic Description

From Booklist

Opening the mail for her mentor and employer, Thurgood Marshall, at the NAACP office in New York, Regina Robichard is captivated by a letter from famous southern author M. P. Calhoun, asking for an investigation of the murder of a young black man, Joe Howard Wilson. Robichard is a fan of Calhoun, having read her book about a magical forest and an unsolved murder. As a stand-in for Marshall, Robichard travels to Revere, Mississippi, to find out the truth behind the murder of Wilson, who was among scores of black men returning from the war, unwilling to put up with the humiliations of racism. What she discovers are parallels between life in Revere and Calhoun’s book. How much of the book is real, and how does it connect to the murder? Inspired by her grandfather, who fought in WWII and was a huge admirer of Thurgood Marshall, and her own admiration of Marshall colleague Constance Baker Motley, Johnson (The Air between Us, 2008) offers a completely engaging southern gothic with unforgettable characters in this fictionalized account of a pivotal NAACP case from the 1940s. --Vanessa Bush

Review

"You can almost hear the rustle of Spanish moss and the clink of ice cubes in glasses of sweet tea in Johnson's novel, which captures the duality of the Jim Crow South. When a black war hero is murdered in Revere, MS, the NAACP sends Regina Robichard to investigate. As Regina navigates Revere with both horror and wonder, Johnson interweaves her story with a novel by a local matriarch, steeping the reader in town mythology. … [a] rich portrayal of Revere and its inhabitants." —Entertainment Weekly, A-

"Johnson offers a completely engaging southern gothic with unforgettable characters..." —Booklist

“A passionate, nuanced drama about Southern race relations . . .provocative.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“I found this story about race, The South, our country, part history, part mystery—never disappointing. Like The South she tragically portrays, The Secret of Magic is a layered tale of the best and worst of our history, beautifully wrought by a master storyteller.” —Robert Hicks, New York Times–bestselling author of Widow of the South and A Separate Country

“The secret (and magic) in The Secret of Magic is in Deborah Johnson’s powerful writing, creating character and story that will linger long after the reading.” —Terry Kay, author of To Dance with the White Dog and The Book of Marie

“Johnson’s story brings authentic history to light, yet suggests a seed of reconciliation. Fantastic!” —Augusta Trobaugh, author of Sophie and the Rising Sun and The Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details
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Reviews

Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam; First Edition edition (January 21, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399157727
ISBN-13: 978-0399157721
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

By turns gentle and powerful, The Secret of Magic is a masterful interweaving of tradition, resilience, injustice, idealism, and respect. It also is a beautifully crafted tale, with a voice that flows from melodic and evocative to humorous and even thunderous.

If you've read the teasers and advance publicity, you know that this is a novel about seeking answers and justice on behalf of a WWII veteran in the postwar South. And if you've read the author's note, you know that Deborah Johnson was inspired to write this novel by the lives of four very real people who might have wanted to live ordinary lives, but for whom time and circumstances had different expectations -- a decree that each would face extraordinary challenges.

In impeccably measured prose that is all the more beautiful for being unassuming, Johnson introduces us to an idealistic young lawyer, a gentle and righteous father, and the author whose words have impacted both their lives. A dozen or more other people dot the pages, each carefully and deftly illuminated.

Johnson also brings to life the town of Revere, and the forest in which it nestles. As you read, you will encounter many talismans, including ladybugs, mistletoe, and a mailbox full of bluebirds. These and many other moments sing of simplicity while they hint at deeper meaning.

I have never had the privilege of visiting the American South, but some of my favorite authors are from that part of the world, and they have touched my soul and dampened my cheeks with their stories.

Every now and then there comes a book that you want to step into the pages of and be there to influence the outcome, this is such a book. I think it is destined to be a "classic" explaining much of the South during the time Deborah Johnson is writing about. Not only is the prose incredible and flowing but the characters are irresistible. I wanted to meet them all, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Set in the South at the end of World War 11 when the Negro was still considered to be less than human, this story delves into the heart of the issue that people are good or bad and in-between not depending on the color of their skin. Along with the story you are reading, there is a "story within a story" about a book written by a person under the initials M.P. Calhoun who turns out to be one of the main characters in this book. Regina Robichard had been influenced by this book, also titled "The Secret of Magic" as a young girl and as it turns out, is even more so now at age 26 when she is sent as a not even dry behind the ears lawyer to investigate the death of a young Negro war hero in the very biased and very southern town of Revere. Her mentor and boss, is Thurgood Marshall who was, at that time, head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in NYC. You can look Mr. Marshall up as he is real as real can be and the story is loosely based on one of the cases that came across his desk.
Our author deftly weaves how the lives of this small town interact and how each person "colored or white" are very dependent on each other and not always unhappy to be so. There are so many layers to this book it reminds me of Walla Walla Sweet onion. Paper thin and each one important to the "whole". It is also interesting how Ms.

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