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One Blood: A Novel
🎧Run Time = 19 hours
This program features multicast narration. It also includes a poem, book club reading guide, and acknowledgments, all read by the author.
Homegoing meets The Mothers where three women are tied together by blood, love, and family secrets in this searing novel by New York Times bestseller Denene Millner.
Raised by her beloved grandmother in tension-filled, post-segregation Virginia, Grace is barely a teenager when she loses her Maw Maw. Shellshocked, she is shipped up North to live with her formidably ambitious Aunt Hattie—a woman who firmly left behind her “undesirable” Southern roots in pursuit of upward mobility. Thrust into the world of the Black and socially ambitious, Grace finds herself trapped in a society of stifling respectability, fancy teas, and coveted debutante balls. Feeling like a fish out of water, Grace’s only place of sweet comfort is with the smart, handsome son of one of the society’s grand dames. However, when Dale gets caught up in a racial police killing and Grace ends up pregnant, she is quickly hidden away and his is promptly shipped off to college. Then in the ultimate act of betrayal, Grace is deceived by Hattie and her brand new baby girl is given up for adoption.
Beautiful, intelligent and fierce, Delores a.k.a. Lolo has never had it easy. Her life has been riddled with pain and loss. Once she makes it up north, she puts aside her dream of being a model to do what she has to do to survive as a woman with little money and no get married and have a family of her own. And she will tell lies and keep secrets to obtain it. Then Lolo does have it a doting husband, a beautiful son and daughter, and a lovely home. When secrets start to spill out and she and her family slowly begin to unravel, Lolo is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her dream intact and those she loves together.
When Lolo’s headstrong daughter, Rae discovers that she is adopted, it is just one secret among others that her family is keeping. Not out of a desire to deceive, but out of a determination to survive and protect. When Rae finds out that she is about to become a mother herself, she knows that there is an important reckoning that must be faced about herself and her two mothers.
Potent, poetic, powerful, told with deep love, and spanning from the Great Migration to the civil unrest of the 1960s to the quest for women’s equality in early 2000s, Denene Millner’s beautifully wrought novel explores three women’s intimate struggle with generational trauma and healing.
This program features multicast narration. It also includes a poem, book club reading guide, and acknowledgments, all read by the author.
Homegoing meets The Mothers where three women are tied together by blood, love, and family secrets in this searing novel by New York Times bestseller Denene Millner.
A “deeply intimate and grandly sweeping” novel (Tarana Burke) from a New York Times bestselling author: As Southerner Grace struggles to adjust to New York City, Delores does everything she can to have a family. “In delicious, decadent prose, Denene Millner does what few authors can — compose a sprawling multigenerational tale that is necessary American reading” (Tara M. Stringfellow).
Raised by her beloved grandmother in tension-filled, post-segregation Virginia, Grace is barely a teenager when she loses her Maw Maw. Shellshocked, she is shipped up North to live with her formidably ambitious Aunt Hattie—a woman who firmly left behind her “undesirable” Southern roots in pursuit of upward mobility. Thrust into the world of the Black and socially ambitious, Grace finds herself trapped in a society of stifling respectability, fancy teas, and coveted debutante balls. Feeling like a fish out of water, Grace’s only place of sweet comfort is with the smart, handsome son of one of the society’s grand dames. However, when Dale gets caught up in a racial police killing and Grace ends up pregnant, she is quickly hidden away and his is promptly shipped off to college. Then in the ultimate act of betrayal, Grace is deceived by Hattie and her brand new baby girl is given up for adoption.
Beautiful, intelligent and fierce, Delores a.k.a. Lolo has never had it easy. Her life has been riddled with pain and loss. Once she makes it up north, she puts aside her dream of being a model to do what she has to do to survive as a woman with little money and no get married and have a family of her own. And she will tell lies and keep secrets to obtain it. Then Lolo does have it a doting husband, a beautiful son and daughter, and a lovely home. When secrets start to spill out and she and her family slowly begin to unravel, Lolo is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her dream intact and those she loves together.
When Lolo’s headstrong daughter, Rae discovers that she is adopted, it is just one secret among others that her family is keeping. Not out of a desire to deceive, but out of a determination to survive and protect. When Rae finds out that she is about to become a mother herself, she knows that there is an important reckoning that must be faced about herself and her two mothers.
Potent, poetic, powerful, told with deep love, and spanning from the Great Migration to the civil unrest of the 1960s to the quest for women’s equality in early 2000s, Denene Millner’s beautifully wrought novel explores three women’s intimate struggle with generational trauma and healing.
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First published September 5, 2023
359 people are currently reading
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About the author
Denene Millner
38 books278 followersDenene Millner is a six-time New York Times best-selling author, Emmy Award-nominated TV show host and award-winning journalist and book publisher who has written more than 30 books, among them: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, co-written with Steve Harvey; Around the Way Girl, a memoir with actress Taraji P. Henson; the Fresh Princess picture books, with Will Smith; and, The Vow, the novel on which the hit Lifetime movie, “With This Ring,” was based. The writer and editor is also the editorial director and publisher of Denene Millner Books, an award-winning imprint that publishes stories featuring Black children and families, by Black authors and illustrators. The DMB list includes two Caldecott Honor books, a Kirkus Prize for Children’s Literature, two Society for Illustrator honors, a Southern Book Award, an instant New York Times bestseller and three NAACP nominations. Denene also co-hosts the nationally syndicated PBS show, A Seat at the Table, and is the host of “Speakeasy with Denene,” a podcast exploring Black culture. Denene’s upcoming novel, One Blood, a multi-generational epic about motherhood, adoption and race, is slated to be published in eight countries when it debuts in 2023. A MacDowell fellow, Denene lives in Atlanta with her two daughters and their goldendoodle, Franklin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
June 18, 2025
This book - so much held in this book. Another one I’d like to teach in a literature or feminism class. A really great job on working through the generations to unknot generational trauma. The only missing piece for me was to wonder about what happened to Grace. We’ll never know, and I’m certain that was an intentional choice on the author’s part.
So many people pass on humiliation, shame, and anguish because they went through it and feel that those coming afterwards should too. But actually, that compounds the trauma. In this case, an act of selfish cruelty put into motion the eventual rise above it by the time the fourth generation emerged. And in the end, the breath I’d been holding could finally be released.
So many people pass on humiliation, shame, and anguish because they went through it and feel that those coming afterwards should too. But actually, that compounds the trauma. In this case, an act of selfish cruelty put into motion the eventual rise above it by the time the fourth generation emerged. And in the end, the breath I’d been holding could finally be released.
June 17, 2024
“To all of the black women that have not spent nearly enough time in the sun”
What is in your blood? Who is in your blood? These questions were asked at the end of the book and boy did it put the stories of Grace, Delores and Rae into perspective.
We are all connected in this world someway somehow and we never really know how deep those connections run! One Blood took us on the amazing journey of these three women and the highs and lows of what it means to be a woman both inside and out of motherhood and being a wife!
This three part book starts out with Grace and boy did my heart go out to her. At a very young age she knew she was special. Her grandmother wouldn’t let her forget it. She stuck by her side and was observant of all things in the south. Unfortunately a sequence of events led to Grace without the matriarch of her family and up north living with her aunt. The shock of this sudden move came with its own set of problems and poor Grace got way more than she bargained for.
We were introduced to LoLo in part two and she was also navigating a life that was different from what she pictured for herself. After losing things sacred to her and beyond her control she did what was necessary to preserve the secrets of her past while protecting her family in the process. She had no idea that those secrets would come back to haunt her and threaten everything in its wake.
We rounded out the book with Rae and I can’t decide if she or Grace was my favorite. Rae is navigating motherhood as best as she can while also learning that everything she knew about her family and upbringing has been a lie. She’s grieving various losses and her husband isn’t the best support system for her in the moments where she needs him most. They have their ups and downs and when she has reached her wits end she battles with choosing herself and whether those decisions will be worth the consequences that follow.
The men that should’ve protected these women used them. Used and abused them mentally and emotionally. They were all trash as far as I’m concerned and should’ve been held accountable. But per usual it lies on the women to pick up the pieces and glue ourselves back together while the men are left unscathed.
I absolutely loved the telling of this story and outside of my hearts yearning to know what happened with Grace I loved everything! We just wanna know is she ok?! Did she recover?! What life did she go on to live?! Ugh my spirit won’t settle with this unknown!
But anywho please add to your TBR! You will not be disappointed!
What is in your blood? Who is in your blood? These questions were asked at the end of the book and boy did it put the stories of Grace, Delores and Rae into perspective.
We are all connected in this world someway somehow and we never really know how deep those connections run! One Blood took us on the amazing journey of these three women and the highs and lows of what it means to be a woman both inside and out of motherhood and being a wife!
This three part book starts out with Grace and boy did my heart go out to her. At a very young age she knew she was special. Her grandmother wouldn’t let her forget it. She stuck by her side and was observant of all things in the south. Unfortunately a sequence of events led to Grace without the matriarch of her family and up north living with her aunt. The shock of this sudden move came with its own set of problems and poor Grace got way more than she bargained for.
We were introduced to LoLo in part two and she was also navigating a life that was different from what she pictured for herself. After losing things sacred to her and beyond her control she did what was necessary to preserve the secrets of her past while protecting her family in the process. She had no idea that those secrets would come back to haunt her and threaten everything in its wake.
We rounded out the book with Rae and I can’t decide if she or Grace was my favorite. Rae is navigating motherhood as best as she can while also learning that everything she knew about her family and upbringing has been a lie. She’s grieving various losses and her husband isn’t the best support system for her in the moments where she needs him most. They have their ups and downs and when she has reached her wits end she battles with choosing herself and whether those decisions will be worth the consequences that follow.
The men that should’ve protected these women used them. Used and abused them mentally and emotionally. They were all trash as far as I’m concerned and should’ve been held accountable. But per usual it lies on the women to pick up the pieces and glue ourselves back together while the men are left unscathed.
I absolutely loved the telling of this story and outside of my hearts yearning to know what happened with Grace I loved everything! We just wanna know is she ok?! Did she recover?! What life did she go on to live?! Ugh my spirit won’t settle with this unknown!
But anywho please add to your TBR! You will not be disappointed!
April 10, 2023
There was so much to digest with this book. It was broken up into three books spanning several decades. It told a story of women that society tried to throw away and sometimes succeeded. There were many triggers in this book so check the trigger warnings. I enjoyed the book of Grace and am still haunted by her experience. The children in this book were treated cruel and it was heart breaking. The following books show how family trauma follows bloodlines and the harm it causes if left unchecked. I will say half way through this book was extremely draining. So much happened to these women yet their stories were in some ways familiar. I recommend this book but be prepared to become attached to these characters. It will not be a book I will forget anytime soon.
August 13, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ To keep it short, if you have a black grandmother, read the book; if you have a black mother, read the book; if you have a black daughter, READ THE BOOK! If you’re interested in getting a glimpse or a little understanding of the plight of black women in any way, shape, or form, READ THE BOOOKKKKK!
This thing was TOOOOO SEASONED!
“I wrote this story for my mother and the Black women of her generation, who were led to believe that their very survival was wholly dependent on their being mothers and wives, and that this should be the sole source of their ambition—even as American racism conspired to stop Black women like my mother from stepping into and succeeding at those very roles.” Denene Millner
This thing was TOOOOO SEASONED!
“I wrote this story for my mother and the Black women of her generation, who were led to believe that their very survival was wholly dependent on their being mothers and wives, and that this should be the sole source of their ambition—even as American racism conspired to stop Black women like my mother from stepping into and succeeding at those very roles.” Denene Millner
July 7, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
“All my life, people been taking away my choices. Every person who was supposed to protect me caged me up and chained my hands, you understand?…”
Review to come but for now..wow.
“All my life, people been taking away my choices. Every person who was supposed to protect me caged me up and chained my hands, you understand?…”
Review to come but for now..wow.
October 2, 2023
There is so much to digest in this story. It’s emotional, raw, and triggering, yet powerful. This book tells the story of three women who have endured a lot just trying to live life. It spans several decades and is very detailed in some parts, but I was truly engaged throughout my reading.
I think the author did a wonderful job of bringing everything together and the writing is brilliant. I definitely recommend picking this book me up, but please be cautious of triggers.
I think the author did a wonderful job of bringing everything together and the writing is brilliant. I definitely recommend picking this book me up, but please be cautious of triggers.
September 21, 2024
EXCELLENT!!!! It's a must read!
June 21, 2023
Really 2.5 starts but since thats not an option I will place it on the better half of that score bc I could not and DNF. I love historical fiction, if you look at most of my reviews they are in that genre. Thanks for the early read but this book was a lot and not for me. First I didn't realize it was in 3 parts. When I came to the book of Delores I thoroughly confused. Grace's story abruptly ended and all of sudden were in a church with someone new. I had to paused after a few pages into Delores and look up what the books more fleshed out description said. Upon reading that, I searched the book itself to see if we would come back around the Grace, no dice. Well that pretty much did it for me. I didn't want to go into another depressing "unrelated" that doesn't even come back around to the person we started with except the inference you are supposed to make (there is one more thing but I dont want to spoil). I then read a few pages in the book of Rae and while that started better than Delores, I was tapped out. Now to the first part, I really really struggled to even finish the Book of Grace. It was terribly depressing from jump and as I said I read a lot of historical fiction so Im used to reading the horrors of the past but something was just so bad about this. I got a few nice moments with Maw Maw but that quickly went left. What happened to Bassey, Maw Maw and Grace was just all terrible. Not one good thing, not one ray of hope and what makes it worse it no follow up unless you got the inference in the epilogue. Hattie was just a terrible person nothing more to say. Im glad folks have enjoyed it so far but I would not recommend.
P.S. one more thing the timeline made no sense and was all over the place it was hard to get a grasp on when things were happening. When Grace is still in the south it was so rurul and poverty stricken I honestly just guessed it was the 20-40s but I was very wrong. When Grace left it claimed she was 13 but then in Brooklyn somehow jumped to 15 which then somehow jumped backwards saying she had only been there 3 months. Very confusing. As for Graces timeline I still never figured that out but it wasnt until she got to Brooklyn and Aunt Hattie was looking at an old picture from the 50s from when she left the south and said Bassey was pregnant with Grace in the picture that I realized we were currently in the 60s
P.S. one more thing the timeline made no sense and was all over the place it was hard to get a grasp on when things were happening. When Grace is still in the south it was so rurul and poverty stricken I honestly just guessed it was the 20-40s but I was very wrong. When Grace left it claimed she was 13 but then in Brooklyn somehow jumped to 15 which then somehow jumped backwards saying she had only been there 3 months. Very confusing. As for Graces timeline I still never figured that out but it wasnt until she got to Brooklyn and Aunt Hattie was looking at an old picture from the 50s from when she left the south and said Bassey was pregnant with Grace in the picture that I realized we were currently in the 60s
December 22, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up
This book is told in three parts that are basically three different books. While each story is significant, I didn’t feel like they really flowed well together and wasn’t fully invested until about 65% into the book (basically the third part).
The men in this book pissed me off! And I hated how the girls were never truly protected sigh it’s a tale as old as time.
This book is told in three parts that are basically three different books. While each story is significant, I didn’t feel like they really flowed well together and wasn’t fully invested until about 65% into the book (basically the third part).
The men in this book pissed me off! And I hated how the girls were never truly protected sigh it’s a tale as old as time.
June 24, 2024
I loved the story. I am here for a muti-generational story of love, pain, death, hard times, good times, fidelity, friendship, and much more.
I love reading about our ancestors and how their spirit can stay within our thoughts and actions throughout our lives.
This book was hard to follow at times, left many questions, and perhaps did not end on the best note, but the author took my reading to another level.
Instead of wondering why the author did not make it simple, it made me proud that I stepped up my reading skill to take my time, re-live the story, and get into the characters thoughts, concerns and actions.
Maw Maw, Grace, Lolo, Skye, enjoyed your story.
Kudos to the author, and I'm looking for a part 2.
I love reading about our ancestors and how their spirit can stay within our thoughts and actions throughout our lives.
This book was hard to follow at times, left many questions, and perhaps did not end on the best note, but the author took my reading to another level.
Instead of wondering why the author did not make it simple, it made me proud that I stepped up my reading skill to take my time, re-live the story, and get into the characters thoughts, concerns and actions.
Maw Maw, Grace, Lolo, Skye, enjoyed your story.
Kudos to the author, and I'm looking for a part 2.
December 13, 2024
This is one of those books that had a lot of elements that I theoretically enjoy but something about the writing style made it difficult for me to really enjoy my experience with this book. I definitely enjoyed Lolo's POV the most out of the three and that section along could have been a 4-5 star reading experience.
Watch my full review: https://youtu.be/czJpMY0azAg
Watch my full review: https://youtu.be/czJpMY0azAg
August 8, 2023
One Blood, the latest novel from Denene Millner, is a sweeping saga which tells the story of three Black American mothers and their struggle to find love, happiness, security and fulfilment. From Jim Crow-era rural Virginia to early-21st century New York, Millner weaves a brutal, tender, devastating narrative which forces the reader to confront the legacy of racism in America and to question prevailing ideas around gender roles and parenthood.
The first part of the novel follows Grace, who is wrenched from a small town in the South to live with her social-climbing, domineering Aunt Hattie in Brooklyn. For Hattie, Grace is an unbearable reminder of a long-ago betrayal by Grace's mother, and she is unable to show even a glimmer of kindness to her displaced niece, using her as an indentured servant to earn her keep and eventually forcing her to give up her newborn daughter because of the shame Grace has brought to Hattie's door with a pregnancy out of wedlock.
Grace's story highlights that, far from being a homogenous group, united against their white oppressors, Black Americans had prejudices and divisions within their own communities too. While the truce between Black and white residents in Grace's hometown of Rose is palpably tenuous, the racism still overt and inevitable, her arrival in New York exposes her to a new kind of prejudice. Hattie sees herself as superior to the kin she left behind in Virginia 'where time stood still and people who chose to stay there had made their peace with it' because she chose not to accept her situation. Where in Rose, Black people were - to a one - poor and struggling for survival, Millner paints a picture of an affluent, thriving Black middle class, where children are expected to attend college and build careers as doctors and lawyers. Even within this group there is division - the most well-regarded are those families who are not descended from slaves, as if this were something earned rather than a mere accident of birth.
The second part of the book focuses on Delores (Lolo), the woman who adopts Grace's baby, Rae, after realising that she is unable to bear her own children. Her own mother having died when she was very young, Lolo came up hard, enduring all manner of abuse from those who were expected to care for her and having caring responsibilities for others forced upon her when she was still a child herself. All she wants is stability, which, in the mid 1960s for a woman, meant a husband. In an era of entrenched gender roles, society tells her she has nothing to offer if she can't be a mother. However, her eventual experience of motherhood recalls the trauma of being orphaned and forced to care for her baby brother, whom she blamed for their predicament, and thus she finds it difficult to show love and affection towards Rae and her brother, TJ. While motherhood is often rhapsodised about, One Blood does not shy away from depicting how becoming a mother doesn't mean you'll instinctively love your child or be able to meet all of their needs, and how being a mother can be incredibly difficult in myriad ways.
A running theme of Lolo's story is the responsibility of being mother to a daughter 'in a world that meant little girls nothing but hurt and harm', something which Lolo's formative experiences drove home to her. She is terrified of how the world might treat Rae but totally unable to articulate her worries or explain the experiences that spawned them, which drives a wedge between her and her daughter.
Lolo's story highlights the gulf between what society told women to want and what they actually wanted, as well as the taboo around discussing topics such as mental health in the Black community. As her children get older and she has more time to herself, Lolo doesn't have the words to express what she feels her life lacks or to confide in her loved ones about everything she has suffered - the way that Lolo bears the shame for her abuse (as Grace did for her pregnancy) exemplifies the way the sexualisation of Black women's bodies is so harmful. In trying to protect Rae, she also passes on the idea that her Black body is something to be ashamed of and hidden - another example of women, especially Black women, being made to bear responsibility for men's behaviour.
'Family is family, blood don't matter,' is a phrase uttered by one character on the subject of adoption, and it is an idea which is explored throughout the text, with several characters expressing conflicting viewpoints. Delores struggles to reconcile the fact that the father who left her and her brother when their mother died went on to be a loving protector for his other daughter, while her brother maintains that being bound by blood should supplant any negative feelings towards family one might harbour. This motif of what constitutes family is repeated throughout the novel.
In the final part of the book, we follow Rae, now an adult with a daughter of her own, as she tries to navigate a demanding full-time job with caring for her child, and still being the homemaker that her mother was and that her husband expects her to be. This was a fascinating study of how the reality of motherhood has shifted over the course of generations, while the gender dynamics have not always kept pace. Rae's story is a relatable tale of the struggles inherent in 'having it all', and the discussion around what makes a 'good' husband or wife, which runs throughout the book, coalesces concisely here.
Just as Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad made it horrifyingly clear that escaping slavery did not necessarily assure a life of freedom and happiness for the runaways, One Blood deftly portrays the insidious racism that persisted in spite of the Civil Rights Act nominally outlawing racial discrimination: the 'white flight' from the suburbs when Black families started to move in; Black students being underestimated in school and their academic and career opportunities unfairly restricted; being overlooked in the workplace, and the persistent inequity in maternity care for Black mothers. One of the most interesting themes of the book is the shifting struggles of each generation of Black people, and how each generation's unique experiences can make it hard for them to understand each other and sympathise with each other's difficulties.
I was disappointed that several of the characters' arcs were left unfinished, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions as to their fates. However, this creates a symmetry with the author's own experience of being adopted, which forms the basis for Rae's origins in the book - not only did she have no idea what led her birth mother to abandon her, but she also never found out what became of her afterwards.
To be reductive, One Blood is a story about how secrets and lies, even those with the best of intentions, can tear a family apart, but it is so much more than that: a celebration of Black identity and pride; a rumination on the toxicity of gender roles and the inextricably linked roles of wife and mother; the importance of religion in the Black community, and what it means to be a good mother.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.
The first part of the novel follows Grace, who is wrenched from a small town in the South to live with her social-climbing, domineering Aunt Hattie in Brooklyn. For Hattie, Grace is an unbearable reminder of a long-ago betrayal by Grace's mother, and she is unable to show even a glimmer of kindness to her displaced niece, using her as an indentured servant to earn her keep and eventually forcing her to give up her newborn daughter because of the shame Grace has brought to Hattie's door with a pregnancy out of wedlock.
Grace's story highlights that, far from being a homogenous group, united against their white oppressors, Black Americans had prejudices and divisions within their own communities too. While the truce between Black and white residents in Grace's hometown of Rose is palpably tenuous, the racism still overt and inevitable, her arrival in New York exposes her to a new kind of prejudice. Hattie sees herself as superior to the kin she left behind in Virginia 'where time stood still and people who chose to stay there had made their peace with it' because she chose not to accept her situation. Where in Rose, Black people were - to a one - poor and struggling for survival, Millner paints a picture of an affluent, thriving Black middle class, where children are expected to attend college and build careers as doctors and lawyers. Even within this group there is division - the most well-regarded are those families who are not descended from slaves, as if this were something earned rather than a mere accident of birth.
The second part of the book focuses on Delores (Lolo), the woman who adopts Grace's baby, Rae, after realising that she is unable to bear her own children. Her own mother having died when she was very young, Lolo came up hard, enduring all manner of abuse from those who were expected to care for her and having caring responsibilities for others forced upon her when she was still a child herself. All she wants is stability, which, in the mid 1960s for a woman, meant a husband. In an era of entrenched gender roles, society tells her she has nothing to offer if she can't be a mother. However, her eventual experience of motherhood recalls the trauma of being orphaned and forced to care for her baby brother, whom she blamed for their predicament, and thus she finds it difficult to show love and affection towards Rae and her brother, TJ. While motherhood is often rhapsodised about, One Blood does not shy away from depicting how becoming a mother doesn't mean you'll instinctively love your child or be able to meet all of their needs, and how being a mother can be incredibly difficult in myriad ways.
A running theme of Lolo's story is the responsibility of being mother to a daughter 'in a world that meant little girls nothing but hurt and harm', something which Lolo's formative experiences drove home to her. She is terrified of how the world might treat Rae but totally unable to articulate her worries or explain the experiences that spawned them, which drives a wedge between her and her daughter.
Lolo's story highlights the gulf between what society told women to want and what they actually wanted, as well as the taboo around discussing topics such as mental health in the Black community. As her children get older and she has more time to herself, Lolo doesn't have the words to express what she feels her life lacks or to confide in her loved ones about everything she has suffered - the way that Lolo bears the shame for her abuse (as Grace did for her pregnancy) exemplifies the way the sexualisation of Black women's bodies is so harmful. In trying to protect Rae, she also passes on the idea that her Black body is something to be ashamed of and hidden - another example of women, especially Black women, being made to bear responsibility for men's behaviour.
'Family is family, blood don't matter,' is a phrase uttered by one character on the subject of adoption, and it is an idea which is explored throughout the text, with several characters expressing conflicting viewpoints. Delores struggles to reconcile the fact that the father who left her and her brother when their mother died went on to be a loving protector for his other daughter, while her brother maintains that being bound by blood should supplant any negative feelings towards family one might harbour. This motif of what constitutes family is repeated throughout the novel.
In the final part of the book, we follow Rae, now an adult with a daughter of her own, as she tries to navigate a demanding full-time job with caring for her child, and still being the homemaker that her mother was and that her husband expects her to be. This was a fascinating study of how the reality of motherhood has shifted over the course of generations, while the gender dynamics have not always kept pace. Rae's story is a relatable tale of the struggles inherent in 'having it all', and the discussion around what makes a 'good' husband or wife, which runs throughout the book, coalesces concisely here.
Just as Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad made it horrifyingly clear that escaping slavery did not necessarily assure a life of freedom and happiness for the runaways, One Blood deftly portrays the insidious racism that persisted in spite of the Civil Rights Act nominally outlawing racial discrimination: the 'white flight' from the suburbs when Black families started to move in; Black students being underestimated in school and their academic and career opportunities unfairly restricted; being overlooked in the workplace, and the persistent inequity in maternity care for Black mothers. One of the most interesting themes of the book is the shifting struggles of each generation of Black people, and how each generation's unique experiences can make it hard for them to understand each other and sympathise with each other's difficulties.
I was disappointed that several of the characters' arcs were left unfinished, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions as to their fates. However, this creates a symmetry with the author's own experience of being adopted, which forms the basis for Rae's origins in the book - not only did she have no idea what led her birth mother to abandon her, but she also never found out what became of her afterwards.
To be reductive, One Blood is a story about how secrets and lies, even those with the best of intentions, can tear a family apart, but it is so much more than that: a celebration of Black identity and pride; a rumination on the toxicity of gender roles and the inextricably linked roles of wife and mother; the importance of religion in the Black community, and what it means to be a good mother.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.
June 1, 2025
Meiner Meinung nach ist dieses Buch damn near perfect. Am meisten hat mich berührt, wie meisterhaft Millner Geschichten, Probleme, Struggles von Schwarzen Frauen und generell der Schwarzen Community im Laufe der sehr bewegten letzten sechs Jahrzehnte erzählt, wie diese sich ändern und was für Generationen-Konflikte dies mit sich bringt.
Auch der liebevolle Blick eines adoptierten Kindes auf ihre leibliche Mutter war sehr bewegend. Trotz extrem viel Trauma verbreitet dieses Buch letztendlich Hoffnung, was ich sehr wichtig finde.
Eine gigantische Empfehlung für dieses Buch, über das ich noch nicht so viel Wertschätzung gehört habe, wie es verdient!
Auch der liebevolle Blick eines adoptierten Kindes auf ihre leibliche Mutter war sehr bewegend. Trotz extrem viel Trauma verbreitet dieses Buch letztendlich Hoffnung, was ich sehr wichtig finde.
Eine gigantische Empfehlung für dieses Buch, über das ich noch nicht so viel Wertschätzung gehört habe, wie es verdient!
October 4, 2023
This book was a character-driven, poetic masterpiece. If it’s not on your TBR please add it‼️ From the very beginning I was immersed into the story there was never a dull moment. With every chapter something wowed me or had me yelling at the pages. The author used her own adoption story as inspiration for the novel and she did a remarkable job with the storytelling.
The most hated character award goes to Hattie and Clarette. I don’t know whose actions were worse because Hattie treated Grace like a maid, abused her, and gave her baby away. Clarette did the most evil thing a person could do to Lolo which changed her life forever. These were women who should’ve been protecting these girls and instead they were belittled and mistreated.
Rae’s husband Roman was a character literally couldn’t take him serious. When the roles were reversed he showed his true colors and couldn’t handle it. “Hell hath no fury like a man that’s been cheated on.” All I can say is the audacity of him!!!
Trigger warnings and themes: neglect, child abuse, rape, adoption, black struggle, survival, abortion, race
The book was beautifully-written, complex, and authentic. The characters balanced well with the plot, were well-developed, and unforgettable. The pacing was perfectly executed, the buildup of tension surrounding their secrets and trauma will keep readers on edge.
Overall, I loved this book Millner’s writing was very engaging and evocative. She didn’t shy away from discussing complex topics. At times it was tough to read the things the characters were forced to go through but it adds depth to the story and allows readers to connect with them on a personal level. I highly recommend you guys give this book a read. It was lengthy and I still wanted more. If anybody gives it a bad rating clearly they need to be reading Dr.Seuss. Special thanks to the author & @forgereads for my gifted copy‼️
The most hated character award goes to Hattie and Clarette. I don’t know whose actions were worse because Hattie treated Grace like a maid, abused her, and gave her baby away. Clarette did the most evil thing a person could do to Lolo which changed her life forever. These were women who should’ve been protecting these girls and instead they were belittled and mistreated.
Rae’s husband Roman was a character literally couldn’t take him serious. When the roles were reversed he showed his true colors and couldn’t handle it. “Hell hath no fury like a man that’s been cheated on.” All I can say is the audacity of him!!!
Trigger warnings and themes: neglect, child abuse, rape, adoption, black struggle, survival, abortion, race
The book was beautifully-written, complex, and authentic. The characters balanced well with the plot, were well-developed, and unforgettable. The pacing was perfectly executed, the buildup of tension surrounding their secrets and trauma will keep readers on edge.
Overall, I loved this book Millner’s writing was very engaging and evocative. She didn’t shy away from discussing complex topics. At times it was tough to read the things the characters were forced to go through but it adds depth to the story and allows readers to connect with them on a personal level. I highly recommend you guys give this book a read. It was lengthy and I still wanted more. If anybody gives it a bad rating clearly they need to be reading Dr.Seuss. Special thanks to the author & @forgereads for my gifted copy‼️
November 8, 2023
4.75⭐️ One Blood brought me a tsunami of volatile emotions. I don’t think I’ve ever been so physically and mentally shaken after reading a book in my life.
This story is the epitome of “hurt people hurt people”, and the importance of healing past pains before it trickles over into every aspect of your life in the most tragic of ways.
The author did an incredible job creating wounded characters that endear the reader and leave a lasting impact. There were also some vile characters that you will loathe, count your days Hattie!)
Grace, LoLo and Rae were all tied together stemming from brutal suffering and heartbreaking tragedies. These women endured so much trauma, without a moment to grieve, pause or regroup. My heart breaks and I immediately recall to mind the quote I’ve seen time to time, “may we all heal from the things we don’t talk about”.
In the midst of so many trials and shattering moments, there were some joyful moments. The relationship between Grace and MawMaw, LoLo finally sharing her pain she kept inside, touching mother/daughter moments and connections… the highlights for me. But in Rae’s section it was interesting to see how LoLo’s rearing and overprotectiveness affected her in life.
This was such a powerful, touching story. Yet, also incredibly difficult. I also did myself a disservice reading this one after “Love Songs” because the stories are similar.
Thus, this is a novel I will always feel a tingle whenever I think of these characters. There was also a HUGE missing piece that I thought would happen (I feel may be a miss for some, but unfortunately that’s how things are sometimes).
If you loved House of Eve, I feel you will love this book as well! This was my first book by the author and I’d love to read more of her work!!
The authors note was beautiful! I feel we could all use a national “Healing Tears”, “I am not my past”, “I am still standing” day just to pause, reflect, grieve, release and forgive to grow in peace and love. 💓
This story is the epitome of “hurt people hurt people”, and the importance of healing past pains before it trickles over into every aspect of your life in the most tragic of ways.
The author did an incredible job creating wounded characters that endear the reader and leave a lasting impact. There were also some vile characters that you will loathe, count your days Hattie!)
Grace, LoLo and Rae were all tied together stemming from brutal suffering and heartbreaking tragedies. These women endured so much trauma, without a moment to grieve, pause or regroup. My heart breaks and I immediately recall to mind the quote I’ve seen time to time, “may we all heal from the things we don’t talk about”.
In the midst of so many trials and shattering moments, there were some joyful moments. The relationship between Grace and MawMaw, LoLo finally sharing her pain she kept inside, touching mother/daughter moments and connections… the highlights for me. But in Rae’s section it was interesting to see how LoLo’s rearing and overprotectiveness affected her in life.
This was such a powerful, touching story. Yet, also incredibly difficult. I also did myself a disservice reading this one after “Love Songs” because the stories are similar.
Thus, this is a novel I will always feel a tingle whenever I think of these characters. There was also a HUGE missing piece that I thought would happen (I feel may be a miss for some, but unfortunately that’s how things are sometimes).
If you loved House of Eve, I feel you will love this book as well! This was my first book by the author and I’d love to read more of her work!!
The authors note was beautiful! I feel we could all use a national “Healing Tears”, “I am not my past”, “I am still standing” day just to pause, reflect, grieve, release and forgive to grow in peace and love. 💓
November 22, 2023
Historisch ist das Buch wirklich top und es bietet die Möglichkeit in die Geschichte der Kolonialzeit einzutauchen und die Verhältnisse von Schwarzen Menschen kennenzulernen in einer Zeit zwischen Sklaventum und Sklavenbefreiung.
Leider bin ich beim Lesen nie so ganz in den Flow gekommen und konnte mich nicht so ganz fallen lassen, deshalb einen Stern Abzug.
Leider bin ich beim Lesen nie so ganz in den Flow gekommen und konnte mich nicht so ganz fallen lassen, deshalb einen Stern Abzug.
September 2, 2023
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes; this in no way influences my review.
Intense and thought provoking, definitely a book worth the read about Black motherhood and the impacts of intergenerational trauma. Full review closer to release.
Content notes:
Oof, this is a seriously intense and emotional story, but so compellingly told. Told through the experiences of three women - Grace, LoLo, and Rae - it chronicles the ties of family and motherhood as Black women and the ways intergenerational trauma ripples and impacts people moving forward.
Grace is a teen when her mother is murdered by her boyfriend and her grandmother is taken away for claiming a white woman’s baby was white and not a product of an affair with a Black man on the birth certificate, leading to her being sent to New York to live with her great aunt. Living in Virginia, even though it was Jim Crow and everything was segregated, Grace had always known love and care, but moving in with Aunt Hattie she was suddenly seen as a burden, unworthy, best unseen and unheard. When she meets Dale, he sees her, but due to their difference in social status no one would allow them to be together. After a stolen night together, Grace becomes pregnant and she’s able to hide it through most of the pregnancy, but when her aunt realizes she spews so much ugliness and plans to send Grace away to one of those places where she can quietly give birth and the baby will be given up for adoption. Before she can be sent away, though, she has the baby, knowing what to do from having helped her MawMaw catch babies before. While Grace slept off the stress of birth, Hattie took the baby away, but not before making a petition to the ancestors for Grace that the baby would be protected and loved.
The next part follows LoLo, a woman who wants to be loved and wanted and thinks she’s found the perfect man in Tommy, but he wants a family and LoLo cannot have babies after she had an abortion as a teen and the nurse who did the procedure forcibly sterilized her. She keeps this from Tommy, and convinces him that he’s the reason pregnancy isn’t occurring. Through church, though, they learn of efforts to adopt our babies, and that’s their solution to still have their family, and they adopt TJ and Rae as babies. LoLo loves her family, but she is also sometimes abusive and cruel and disconnected from her children, especially as the weight of being a mother and a wife and a homemaker weighs on her more and more, leaving her feeling shackled to a life that is slowly draining her life.
The final part tells Rae’s story after she gets pregnant with her own daughter and is navigating her full-time job, a husband who quit his job while she was pregnant to pursue his dream of being a full-time writer, and the stress of being a Black mother in America.
There are so many layers and nuances to the story being told. So much of it was heartbreaking as the things these women went through trickled down into how they treated their children. I feel like this is such an impactful story obviously told with heart but also feels unflinching and rough.
It’s hard to say I liked One Blood because it was so rough, but then the ending is so full of love and care. And seeing how time changes someone in how LoLo was a rough mother but when it came to her granddaughter, she had softness to spare. And seeing the relationship between LoLo and Rae change after Rae is grown and a mother herself. I liked the complexity and interpersonal dynamics shown.
I will say that I did struggle some with the time shifts because there’d be recollections and then transition back to present, and I couldn’t always tell where those transitions were taking place. It was an element I enjoyed and the omniscient aspect of the storytelling definitely added to the layers for me.
Overall this a book I would definitely recommend picking up, though do mind content warnings. In the end it is a story of the power and love of family, but also a story of how much it costs to be a Black woman, a Black mother in America, even states like New York that like to pretend that racism never existed there like the South.
Intense and thought provoking, definitely a book worth the read about Black motherhood and the impacts of intergenerational trauma. Full review closer to release.
Content notes:
Oof, this is a seriously intense and emotional story, but so compellingly told. Told through the experiences of three women - Grace, LoLo, and Rae - it chronicles the ties of family and motherhood as Black women and the ways intergenerational trauma ripples and impacts people moving forward.
Grace is a teen when her mother is murdered by her boyfriend and her grandmother is taken away for claiming a white woman’s baby was white and not a product of an affair with a Black man on the birth certificate, leading to her being sent to New York to live with her great aunt. Living in Virginia, even though it was Jim Crow and everything was segregated, Grace had always known love and care, but moving in with Aunt Hattie she was suddenly seen as a burden, unworthy, best unseen and unheard. When she meets Dale, he sees her, but due to their difference in social status no one would allow them to be together. After a stolen night together, Grace becomes pregnant and she’s able to hide it through most of the pregnancy, but when her aunt realizes she spews so much ugliness and plans to send Grace away to one of those places where she can quietly give birth and the baby will be given up for adoption. Before she can be sent away, though, she has the baby, knowing what to do from having helped her MawMaw catch babies before. While Grace slept off the stress of birth, Hattie took the baby away, but not before making a petition to the ancestors for Grace that the baby would be protected and loved.
The next part follows LoLo, a woman who wants to be loved and wanted and thinks she’s found the perfect man in Tommy, but he wants a family and LoLo cannot have babies after she had an abortion as a teen and the nurse who did the procedure forcibly sterilized her. She keeps this from Tommy, and convinces him that he’s the reason pregnancy isn’t occurring. Through church, though, they learn of efforts to adopt our babies, and that’s their solution to still have their family, and they adopt TJ and Rae as babies. LoLo loves her family, but she is also sometimes abusive and cruel and disconnected from her children, especially as the weight of being a mother and a wife and a homemaker weighs on her more and more, leaving her feeling shackled to a life that is slowly draining her life.
The final part tells Rae’s story after she gets pregnant with her own daughter and is navigating her full-time job, a husband who quit his job while she was pregnant to pursue his dream of being a full-time writer, and the stress of being a Black mother in America.
There are so many layers and nuances to the story being told. So much of it was heartbreaking as the things these women went through trickled down into how they treated their children. I feel like this is such an impactful story obviously told with heart but also feels unflinching and rough.
It’s hard to say I liked One Blood because it was so rough, but then the ending is so full of love and care. And seeing how time changes someone in how LoLo was a rough mother but when it came to her granddaughter, she had softness to spare. And seeing the relationship between LoLo and Rae change after Rae is grown and a mother herself. I liked the complexity and interpersonal dynamics shown.
I will say that I did struggle some with the time shifts because there’d be recollections and then transition back to present, and I couldn’t always tell where those transitions were taking place. It was an element I enjoyed and the omniscient aspect of the storytelling definitely added to the layers for me.
Overall this a book I would definitely recommend picking up, though do mind content warnings. In the end it is a story of the power and love of family, but also a story of how much it costs to be a Black woman, a Black mother in America, even states like New York that like to pretend that racism never existed there like the South.
April 9, 2024
I struggled with this book. You do have 3 completely different stories within this book, and the story of Grace was never re - visited ..... my thought is that her story is the foundation for this book, but if you have an incomplete foundation, how can you build on it? 2.5 🌟 rating.
December 7, 2025
Es war etwas langatmig in die Geschichte reinzukommen und dann - es gibt einem so viel Hoffnung, dass alles überwindbar ist, egal, was alles ist. Love it! 🩷 Unvergesslich.
November 5, 2023
Just What I Needed
This book was a lot to take in. I spent much of it feeling overwhelmed by the hardships each woman faced. There was so much trauma. By the end of the book, I could look past the pain and honor their resiliency. I could recognize the beautiful illustration of how Black women will endure any and everything just to provide for their offspring. Even if it’s to our detriment, we will be steadfast and unflinching to protect our babies. We make sacrifices to ensure that they have a softer path to take. I saw my strong, fierce grandmother in this story. I saw where my greatest strengths come from. This book was heavy, but it was so relatable. It was powerful. It was necessary. This book gave a voice to our mothers and grandmothers that were often unheard. I’m so thankful for that. I’m so glad that I had an opportunity to experience this journey. It reminded me of my own strength that I thought I lost.
This book was a lot to take in. I spent much of it feeling overwhelmed by the hardships each woman faced. There was so much trauma. By the end of the book, I could look past the pain and honor their resiliency. I could recognize the beautiful illustration of how Black women will endure any and everything just to provide for their offspring. Even if it’s to our detriment, we will be steadfast and unflinching to protect our babies. We make sacrifices to ensure that they have a softer path to take. I saw my strong, fierce grandmother in this story. I saw where my greatest strengths come from. This book was heavy, but it was so relatable. It was powerful. It was necessary. This book gave a voice to our mothers and grandmothers that were often unheard. I’m so thankful for that. I’m so glad that I had an opportunity to experience this journey. It reminded me of my own strength that I thought I lost.
September 26, 2023
Tragic story of broken women. Hurt people hurt people. We have to learn how to heal in order to move forward. Heavy read
November 5, 2023
4.25 stars!
September 17, 2024
I plan to re read, I read this book with a TikTok live and it took about a week! I enjoyed the book of rea!! lolo was a whole another story and Grace I truly wanted to rewind to make I was hearing things right.
Read
April 1, 2024This book was all over the place. The last 3 chapters were good. That’s about it.
July 30, 2023
Grace was raised in post-segregation Virginia. She was barely a teenager when she lost her grandmother. In her grief she was shipped up north to live with her aunt. Grace is out of her elements and desperate to feel at home.
Delores has never had it easy. Once she makes it up North, she does what she has to do in order to survive as a woman with no money – she gets married and has a family. When the times get tough, she must do whatever it takes to keep her dreams intact and those she loves together.
Rae is Delores’s headstrong daughter. When she learns she’s about to become a mother herself, she learns shes adopted.
This is a very powerful book, but also confusing at times. This was three parts all told from a different character’s point of view. I didn’t enjoy how they didn’t really connect; they were rather disjointed. I really struggled with how children were treated in this book, but it was true to the time sadly. Despite this book being depressing, like I said it was a powerful read. It was a wonderful story into what it takes to be a black woman in America across several states. This is also a story of the power of love and family.
This is not a book that I will be forgetting anytime soon.
If you are looking for a deeply compelling read, then I hope you check this one out.
Thank you to the publisher Tor Publishing, and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Additional Links will be added once posted.
Delores has never had it easy. Once she makes it up North, she does what she has to do in order to survive as a woman with no money – she gets married and has a family. When the times get tough, she must do whatever it takes to keep her dreams intact and those she loves together.
Rae is Delores’s headstrong daughter. When she learns she’s about to become a mother herself, she learns shes adopted.
This is a very powerful book, but also confusing at times. This was three parts all told from a different character’s point of view. I didn’t enjoy how they didn’t really connect; they were rather disjointed. I really struggled with how children were treated in this book, but it was true to the time sadly. Despite this book being depressing, like I said it was a powerful read. It was a wonderful story into what it takes to be a black woman in America across several states. This is also a story of the power of love and family.
This is not a book that I will be forgetting anytime soon.
If you are looking for a deeply compelling read, then I hope you check this one out.
Thank you to the publisher Tor Publishing, and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Additional Links will be added once posted.
October 10, 2023
4.5 stars
From the moment I started reading, I was immediately captivated by the book's compelling narrative. Split into three parts, the first two parts introduce us to the stories of Grace and Deloros. These strong-willed women are dealt a challenging hand in life, yet we witness their remarkable resilience.
Millner's portrayal of their journeys is nothing short of exceptional, pulling at our heartstrings and evoking a range of emotions. However, as I progressed to the last part centered around Rae, I found myself yearning for more of Grace and less of Rae's story. It felt as though a different book had emerged, with a slightly disjointed connection to the first two parts. Despite this, the overall impact remained profound, leaving a lasting impression.
One of the standout elements of the book for me is its exploration of motherhood. Throughout the narrative, the theme of motherhood intertwines with the struggles faced by the protagonists, showcasing the strength and perseverance of three generations of women against all odds. Millner's depiction of their resilience is both inspiring and moving, highlighting the incredible bond that connects them. It is important to note that this book may contain potential triggers, so it's advisable to check them before diving into the story.
From the moment I started reading, I was immediately captivated by the book's compelling narrative. Split into three parts, the first two parts introduce us to the stories of Grace and Deloros. These strong-willed women are dealt a challenging hand in life, yet we witness their remarkable resilience.
Millner's portrayal of their journeys is nothing short of exceptional, pulling at our heartstrings and evoking a range of emotions. However, as I progressed to the last part centered around Rae, I found myself yearning for more of Grace and less of Rae's story. It felt as though a different book had emerged, with a slightly disjointed connection to the first two parts. Despite this, the overall impact remained profound, leaving a lasting impression.
One of the standout elements of the book for me is its exploration of motherhood. Throughout the narrative, the theme of motherhood intertwines with the struggles faced by the protagonists, showcasing the strength and perseverance of three generations of women against all odds. Millner's depiction of their resilience is both inspiring and moving, highlighting the incredible bond that connects them. It is important to note that this book may contain potential triggers, so it's advisable to check them before diving into the story.
April 8, 2024
Sehr gutes Buch, hat mich stark bewegt und auch ganz doll inspiriert, meinen Horizont zu erweitern.
Nach 650 Seiten war es knapp davor, mir zu lang zu sein aber Denene schafft es, die Leser*innen trotzdem an der Stange zu halten.
Nach 650 Seiten war es knapp davor, mir zu lang zu sein aber Denene schafft es, die Leser*innen trotzdem an der Stange zu halten.
December 29, 2024
I wish we could have gotten even just a little bit of closure on Grace’s story. I guess it’s more realistic that we don’t. In the acknowledgments, the author mentions that she knows nothing about her birth mother because she, like Rae, was left on the stoop of an orphanage as a baby. But it bummed me out that she never learned what happened to Grace after she gave birth.
February 11, 2025
A really good family drama over the generations. I liked the magical realism element and what it added. I do wish we could follow up on our first main character more as I was so sad to see how it ended.
May 8, 2024
A truly phenomenal read.
So layered, so beautiful
So layered, so beautiful
Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews