The Daughter of Shiloh

Haynes (Passages of Hope) opens a vivid window into Black Southern history with this memorable and resonant addition to the Enduring Hope series. It’s 1902 and ambitious Tuskegee Institute student Lealia Bevard is thrilled to be returning to Birmingham, Ala., where the upcoming National Baptist Convention is taking place and where Lealia hopes to win a scholarship to Howard University. Joining her is Milton Rafferty, a fellow star student and Birmingham native, who harbors a distinct bitterness toward their hometown. Milton and Lealia start the trip determined to stay out of each other’s way: Milton mistakes Lealia’s plucky confidence for arrogance, and Lealia wants no distractions from her goal. But after a stampede at their church (based on the 1902 Shiloh Baptist Church Stampede following a Booker T. Washington speech, which left 150 dead), they set aside their differences and work together to help uplift the community. Meanwhile, their discovery of an unsolved murder launches Lealia and Milton on an investigation that forces them to confront their feelings for Birmingham, each other, and the church that raised them. While the plot devices can feel heavy-handed, Haynes crafts well-rounded leads, and the nuanced discussions of personal and collective trauma following the stampede add emotional depth. Fans of historical fiction won’t want to put this down. (Oct.)