Sunday Books & Culture
Reviews include Uzo Aduba’s celebrity memoir “The Road is Good: How a Mother’s Strength Became a Daughter’s Purpose” and Jonathan Edward Durham’s ambitious debut fantasy novel, "Winterset Hollow."
THE ROAD IS GOOD: HOW A MOTHER’S STRENGTH BECAME A DAUGHTER’S PURPOSE
By Uzo Aduba
Published by Viking (September 24, 2024)
Hardcover $20.30
Audiobook $14.99
Reviewed by Ashley Riggleson
Celebrity memoirs are not my usual fare, but when I saw Uzo Aduba’s recent book, The Road is Good: How a Mother’s Strength Became a Daughter’s Purpose, was available for review, I leapt at the chance. Many readers may know Aduba from her role as “Crazy Eyes” on the hit show, Orange is the New Black, but, truthfully, it was not Aduba’s fame that interested me. It was her story.
Aduba’s full first name is Uzoamaka, a name which in Igbo means, “The Road is Good,” and, as Aduba explains, its use signifies that though there have been many challenges along the way, the hardship to get to this good point has been worth it. While this name fits Aduba very well, it also hints at her family’s history. Yes, The Road is Good has all the components of a celebrity memoir, but it is also the story of an ordinary (but also extraordinary) Nigerian-American family.
When the memoir opens, Aduba knows that her mother, a strong, passionate, loving, hardworking, and determined woman, is dying. Aduba uses this tragic event as the impetus to reflect on the past and pen what begins as an immigrant narrative about privilege and belonging.
Unsurprisingly, it is immediately clear how much her mother’s support contributed to developing her sense of self-worth over the years. This fact means even though she is the child of immigrants and is often the only black person in predominantly white spaces, readers find in Aduba a sense of rootedness. She credits her mother for instilling pride in her heritage and family. Aduba also shows the way that her mother’s focus on her children’s dreams breaks the mold of many “typical” immigrant families. That does not mean, however, that Aduba and her siblings were not well-rounded and multi-talented. (Although Aduba eventually chooses theater and acting as her profession, she is also a gifted athlete and intelligent to boot.)
Despite the advantages her mother gives her, though, Aduba is no stranger to adversity. Along with the hardships that come with being black and female in America, she also struggles in other ways during her early adulthood. And again, her family and her faith keep her afloat.
Readers can see that there is a pattern here, and when I initially started reading The Road is Good, I thought this memoir would be about grief, perhaps in the same spirit as Cheryl Strayed’s, Wild. Instead, The Road is Good is a labor of love and moving remembrance, an effort to keep her mother alive, at least in words. I finished reading The Road is Good weeks ago, and the portrait of Aduba’s mother has remained. She is a woman I wish I had known, and I hope that Aduba takes that as the highest of compliments.
This heartfelt book is guaranteed to pull on readers’ heartstrings while also telling a compelling story (and yes, while I did not talk much about Aduba’s journey as an actress, readers looking to learn more about that will not be disappointed.) If you take away anything from my review though, I hope it is this: The Road is Good is a relatable and human narrative about a family split between The United States and Nigeria—a story about love, family, and overcoming adversity. It is a work that brings tears to the eyes even as it inspires, and a work that I will not soon forget.
Ashley Riggleson is a free-lance book reviewer from Rappahannock County. When she is not reading or writing book reviews, she can usually be found playing with her pets, listening to podcasts, or watching television with friends and family.
WINTERSET HOLLOW
by Jonathan Edward Durham
Published by Credo House Publishers (September 1, 2021)
Paperback $15.99
Audiobook $14.99
Reviewed by Drew Gallagher
Here at the Advance, we try to only review newly released books, but there are occasions and situations where we might review a book that was published a few years ago. One example of this exception is when my daytime boss sends me a book written by a pickleball buddy and asks me what I think.
He sent me Winterset Hollow (published in 2021) because he found the writing to be exceptional (which it is). And since my daytime boss is responsible for my raise and bonus each year, I made a point of reading the book quickly which proved to be faster than he was able to read it, likely due to the fact that he is far busier and far more important than I am.
Winterset Hollow is a unique reading experience and one that I am not likely to forget. The book is the debut novel of Jonathan Edward Durham and is an audacious undertaking since he writes a book (a young adult novel titled Winterset Hollow) within a book complete with poetic couplings from the made-up text that the real Winterset Hollow is based upon. The premise is that once a year, on Barley Day, fans of the fictional Winterset Hollow are invited to visit the island off the coast of the Pacific Northwest where the author wrote their beloved book.
The invitations are few and arrive through mysterious means. When Eamon, who feels that the book saved his life in many ways as he was growing up, finds an invite at home in Idaho he asks his friends Caroline (also a huge fan of the book) and Mark to join him on the trip to see the land where the book was written. They are taken, along with a few other fans, to the island by an old sea captain who proceeds to drink himself into a stupor after they arrive. A storm is blowing in, so Eamon and his friends seek shelter and eventually find a gap in the metal fence protecting the dead author’s manor house and find that the house has inhabitants.
Those four inhabitants happen to be the four main characters from Winterset Hollow—a larger than life rabbit, frog, bear, and fox. Once the impossibility of these beloved characters coming to life ebbs away, the sheer awe of the fans takes over, and they are treated to a sumptuous feast by their hosts who seem quite glad that they are there. Eamon and Caroline are in heaven and even Mark, who is just along for the ride as Caroline’s boyfriend, starts to have a good time once he finds that the bar is fully stocked.
To this point, Winterset Hollow is the dream that many readers have harbored for the beloved books and characters of their youth. I would have loved to have been aboard the Dawn Treader or traveled to the Shire. Because of the magic in these books, one likes to believe that there is magic in the world, and these made up worlds coming to life is improbable but not impossible. But be careful what you wish for.
The joy that readers took from the fictional Winterset Hollow was not shared by the characters in the book. The roles of the characters in the book are far more complicated and tragic than the young readers could have imagined, and it is a past that they seek to reconcile. Initially, Winterset Hollow seems a book of whimsy and nostalgia, but like the storm that blew up on Eamon and his friends, it takes a very dark turn and the ensuing carnage is shocking.
Durham’s writing is remarkable, and the fact that he has created an alternate book within his book is truly extraordinary. As with many debut novels, there are a few instances where a reader might roll their eyes at the intervening events and gunshots that preserve the narrative (only seasoned book reviewers can find fault with the preservation of a beloved main character through providence and not bat an eye at talking rabbits and hammer-wielding bears). Winterset Hollow is a memorable read but is far from a fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever after.
Drew Gallagher is a freelance writer residing in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He is the second-most-prolific book reviewer and first video book reviewer in the 136-year history of the Free Lance-Star Newspaper. He aspires to be the second-most-prolific book reviewer in the history of FXBG Advance.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past year, our reporting was:
First to break the story of Stafford Board of Supervisors dismissing a citizen library board member for “misconduct,” without informing the citizen or explaining what the person allegedly did wrong.
First to explain falling water levels in the Rappahannock Canal.
First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
Our media group also offers the most-extensive election coverage in the region and regular columnists like:
And our newsroom is led by the most-experienced and most-awarded journalists in the region — Adele Uphaus (Managing Editor and multiple VPA award-winner) and Martin Davis (Editor-in-Chief, 2022 Opinion Writer of the Year in Virginia and more than 25 years reporting from around the country and the world).
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!
