Conjure Women: Historical Novel About Two Generations of African American Healers

I expected to read Conjure Women by Afia Atakora sooner when I got my digital ARC from Net Galley, but unfortunately I get so many review requests directly from authors, publishers and publicists that I promise to review by a certain date or point in the month.  This June is especially busy with two blog tours, but I've shoehorned Conjure Women into my schedule by reading it at the end of May for a BOM (Book of the Month) discussion on a Goodreads group dealing with African American historical fiction called Black Coffee.  Before posting to that discussion, I'll be reviewing it here, on Goodreads and Net Galley.

                          

Afia Atakora was born in the UK and raised in New Jersey.  She graduated from New York University and received an MFA degree from Columbia University.  Conjure Women is her first novel.

I had a high level of respect for May Belle, the first of the healers portrayed in this novel. She protected those she loved when she could, and did what she had to do.  She was able to be pragmatic without losing who she was, and she really helped people.  She probably learned healing by observing her own mother and expected Rue to do the same.

I am probably the only reviewer who noticed Rue saying more than once that she didn't want to be a healer,  and I believed her.  So this was central to my understanding of the character.  She began her life as a slave which meant she had to follow expectations.  Because of her lack of inclination toward healing, she didn't  develop some important skills that her mother had.  Yet by the time she had the freedom to make her own choices, she was too committed to this life path that she had never wanted.  So I sympathized with Rue to a certain extent, but I thought she made some serious misjudgements that bothered me.

I've seen some reviews that wondered why the final scene, taking place in 1929, was included.  I found it to be consistent with my interpretation of Rue's character.  She was at the end of her life, but she was getting to do what she wanted in some small way.  This says to me that she didn't have any freedom before then which is rather tragic, but probably a true statement about the lives of many people.

Sad and truthful is a good general statement about Conjure Women.  The abolition of slavery didn't solve Rue's problems as an individual.  People can be bound by obligations and expectations that make them unfree for a good portion of their time on earth.