Junie: A GMA Book Club Pick

A Novel

By: Erin Crosby Eckstine

Narrated by: Angel Pean

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • As the Civil War looms, a young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister’s ghost in this “poignant story of love, family and friendship [that] celebrates the power of liberation” (People).

“An enrapturing tale of survival . . . Eckstine has poured a ton of heart into her characters.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“The richly textured prose quickly pulled me into [Junie’s] treacherous yet magical world.”—Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake

Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie has spent her life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter, Violet. Her daydreams are filled with poetry and faraway worlds, while she spends her nights secretly roaming through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie.

When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act—one that rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her. She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark and horrifying secrets that can no longer be ignored.

With time ticking down, Junie begins to push against the harsh current that has controlled her entire life. As she grapples with an increasingly unfamiliar world in which she has little control, she is forced to ask herself: When we choose love and liberation, what must we leave behind?

Seller

What a great story! Wonderful narration and the characters were well developed. You won’t regret this credit.

Very interesting

This book was quite something, and the author's definitely succeeded in portraying what they intented to, in the author's note at the end. This story isn't solely about the physical horrors of slavery. It is about human beings, doing human (good or bad) and inhuman things to each other (definitely bad) both physically and emotionally. How some try to survive, to endure, to exist. The main character is sometimes very annoying, but after reading it, that was also the point too... She was learning, until it was too late, until the choice wasn't hers to make, until she finally did it for herself, with all consequences.

Beautiful

One of the best books I’ve ever listened to because of the continuity, the detail, the emotion, and the persistence of the main character. I thought the narrator did a beautiful job personifying the main character and helping her become so very fully realized and pull at your heartstrings.

Well Told Story

Junie is a powerful read for those interested in stories that blend literary elegance with historical truth. It demands emotional engagement, rewarding readers with a poignant glimpse into a life that should never be forgotten.

Junie

An amazing story, heart wrenching the mid 1800s. It describes life as a slave I could not put this down. I had to listen to it till the end and it brought me to tears again it’s an amazing book.