DAUGHTERS OF JUBILATION

A Black teen learns more about her family’s magical abilities in the Jim Crow South.

When Evalene hit puberty, Mama revealed that menstruation brought an additional type of power. Since before the time of slavery, the Deschamps women have been gifted with magical abilities, called Jubilation. Although Evvie doesn’t know why they have this magic or what her mind will do, she can usually tell when something is coming by the onset of a painful headache. During the summer of 1962, Evvie spends her days babysitting a White child and the evenings taking care of her twin sisters. When Evvie begins a relationship with her longtime crush, she starts to lose command of her powers more frequently, and she seeks out her Grammie Atti to learn to control the jubin’. Evvie learns that the women in her family—and many other Black families—have been gifted with Jubilation as a tool for survival against predators. The magic feeds off intense emotions, including love and anger. When a dangerous White man from Evvie’s past returns to town, she must use the power within her to fight for her loved ones. The story is well paced and suspenseful, and the magic that is Jubilation is wonderfully creative. The exploration of home, and the reflection on how a place where you can’t be safe can nevertheless be called home, is powerful.

A compelling story of first love and battling racism with a magical twist.