A review by morninglightmama
Untethered by Angela Jackson-Brown

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This novel is set in Alabama in 1967, and the protagonist, Katia, is a single, Black woman who runs a group home for Black boys in the foster care system. Katia's life is all about caring for others-- her charges at the home, her mother who lives with her, and her younger brothers, one of whom is MIA in Vietnam-- and when a terrible series of events hits her from multiple directions, she starts to understand her own need to be cared for. I shed many tears through this reading, witnessing the realities of this life, albeit through fiction. I found a lot of the language somewhat anachronistic for the time, though. What sticks with me the most at the end of the book is the community that Kat was surrounded by, who found ways to support her even when they, too, were burdened by systems designed to hurt them. A mostly happy ending allows the characters to be in a joyful place when we leave them, which was comforting.