We Are All Good People Here

May 15, 2019
A turbulent decade reverberates throughout two women's lives. The 1960s, as some chroniclers have noted, were nothing less than days of rage for many young men and women suddenly awakened to troubling political realities: overt racism and a violent, divisive war, both provoking an urgent pressure to act morally, to take a stand, "to dig out the rot." But the upheaval of the '60s was not only political: Especially for women, ethical choices were complicated by love, sex, and, not least, money. White (A Place at the Table, 2013, etc.) handles that complexity with gentleness and empathy in a novel that follows the divergent paths of two friends: Evelyn Elliot Whalen, the cosseted daughter of wealthy, politely racist Atlantans, and Daniella Gold a middle-class, liberal Unitarian whose father is a Jewish professor. In 1962, they happily find themselves roommates at a small Southern women's college that, the girls discover, holds onto some discomfiting customs: The top sorority refuses to accept Jews, for one; and African American maids, living in the basement of each residence house, clean students' bedrooms and do their laundry. Eve, eager to take up a cause, protests their working conditions to the college's headmaster, a gesture that backfires, as the more circumspect and pragmatic Daniella knew it would. Her "silly friend," she reflects, "thought she could splash and kick her way into an ocean of oppression and instantly change the tide." Eve continues to kick and splash after they both move to New York, become involved in CORE, and apply to join the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in registering voters in Mississippi. Daniella worries about the danger: "We should only take actions that are safe?" Eve asks, a question they continue to confront as they struggle to shape their role in the world. Drawing on memoirs, biographies, and histories, White vividly portrays the fractious radicals--such as Eve's arrogant, manipulative lover--dedicated to smashing "bourgeois notions and attitudes" as well as the trajectory that some of those ardent rebels took in the 1970s and '80s. A well-paced narrative palpably evokes America's stormy past.

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August 12, 2019
White (A Place at the Table) tracks two college roommates over three decades, taking on topics such as racism and the political division in America during the Vietnam War, to mixed results. Daniella Gold was raised liberal in Washington, D.C., while Eve Whalen is an upper-crust Southern belle from Atlanta; they meet at Belmont College in 1962. Told primarily through Eve and Daniella’s viewpoints, White shows how the politics of the times shaped their destinies: Eve, thanks to a charismatic, politically active student she falls for, rebels from her bourgeois upbringing and joins his radical, anti-establishment group; Daniella channels her liberal views into championing the civil rights movement, eventually becoming a human rights lawyer for people on death row. The two grow apart, but a tragic occurrence upends Eve’s life and throws them together, after which their daughters share a special bond. The book loses steam when the point of view shifts to Daniella’s daughter, Sarah, and the contrast between her life and that of Eve’s child, Anna. White offers a competent overview of the political spectrum in the United States from the ’60s to the early ’90s, but misses the opportunity to dig deep into the seismic change in Eve’s lifestyle and its impact on her relationship with Daniella. This is a fair effort.

Starred review from July 1, 2019

Two women forge a friendship at a Southern college in the tumultuous 1960s as they face social issues including sexism, the Vietnam War, and the fight for civil rights. Wealthy Atlanta debutante Eve Whalen wants to join a sorority. Her new roommate is Daniella Gold, daughter of a college professor from Washington, DC. Daniella discovers the African American maids who live in the basement of the dorm and are allowed only Sundays off. Eve begins to question the status quo when Daniella is denied admission to the sororities because her father is Jewish. The girls transfer to college in New York, where Eve is drawn into radicalism, and Daniella spends a summer registering voters in Mississippi. Their paths diverge as Eve becomes more involved in violent protests while Daniella marries and strives to make partner at her law firm. Yet when Eve ends up in serious trouble, she calls on Daniella. Years later, their daughters discover the secrets their mothers held for decades. VERDICT This latest from White (A Place at the Table) is highly recommended for its absorbing characterization and engrossing plot that perfectly capture the zeitgeist of the 1960s. For readers who enjoyed Emma Cline's The Girls or Caroline Leavitt's Cruel Beautiful World. [See Prepub Alert, 12/3/18.]--Catherine Coyne, Mansfield P.L., MA

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