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Kingdom of No Tomorrow
It's that pivotal year, 1968, and Nettie Boileau, a young Haitian student in Oakland, gets caught up in the ongoing revolutionary fever. With her friend Clia Brown, she uses her public health skills to help operate the free health clinics created by the people she believes are "true revolutionaries," the Black Panthers. When she falls in love with Black Panther Party Defense Captain Melvin Mosley, their passionate love affair soon eclipses all else—her friendship with Clia and even her own sense of self.
Pregnant, Nettie follows Melvin to Chicago to help with a newly-launched Illinois chapter of the Panthers, but once there, she finds Chicago segregated, police surveillance brutal, and her faith in love eroding as Melvin becomes unfaithful. After a violent tussle with the police and the loss of their unborn child, both Nettie and Melvin are caught in the viciousness of J. Edgar Hoover’s covert campaigns, and Nettie is soon on the run, desperate to find power in her roots and ultimately, to save herself.
With richly imagined, relatable characters, Kingdom of No Tomorrow tells a story of Black love, self-determination, and the importance of revolution in the midst of injustice.
Pregnant, Nettie follows Melvin to Chicago to help with a newly-launched Illinois chapter of the Panthers, but once there, she finds Chicago segregated, police surveillance brutal, and her faith in love eroding as Melvin becomes unfaithful. After a violent tussle with the police and the loss of their unborn child, both Nettie and Melvin are caught in the viciousness of J. Edgar Hoover’s covert campaigns, and Nettie is soon on the run, desperate to find power in her roots and ultimately, to save herself.
With richly imagined, relatable characters, Kingdom of No Tomorrow tells a story of Black love, self-determination, and the importance of revolution in the midst of injustice.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
December 10, 2024
Fabienne Josaphat’s “Kingdom of No Tomorrow” won the Bellwether prize in 2023 and was released this month by Algonquin. It’s an earnest, urgent novel about a young woman in the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s.
In her acknowledgments, Josaphat notes that she based this story on a number of books about the Black Panthers and interviews with former members. Indeed, for many readers born after the baby boomers, “Kingdom of No Tomorrow” may be their first introduction to the revolutionary organization founded in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale to protect the lives of African Americans. Fred Hampton, Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown, Eldridge Cleaver and other real-life radicals of the era orbit in the novel’s background, exerting their gravitational pull on the fictional characters in the foreground.
But despite Josaphat’s fidelity to the hopes and clashes of the late 1960s, this is not one of those novels that putters along like an old pickup truck overloaded with historical cargo. Indeed, as you might expect from the Bellwether imprimatur, “Kingdom of No Tomorrow” is a novel looking to the past as a way of engaging with our current social challenges. Considering her inspiration, Josaphat writes, “The constant killings of Black people at the hands of the police had catapulted me into a very deep introspection about history, about power, and about how Black people around the world engaged in struggle to be seen and respected on equal footing.” Consequently, the dramatic story she tells in these pages traces the current fight for justice, safety, health and nutrition back to a moment when groups of African Americans pursued collective actions, while state and federal officials regarded them as Marxist threats and conspired to....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
In her acknowledgments, Josaphat notes that she based this story on a number of books about the Black Panthers and interviews with former members. Indeed, for many readers born after the baby boomers, “Kingdom of No Tomorrow” may be their first introduction to the revolutionary organization founded in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale to protect the lives of African Americans. Fred Hampton, Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown, Eldridge Cleaver and other real-life radicals of the era orbit in the novel’s background, exerting their gravitational pull on the fictional characters in the foreground.
But despite Josaphat’s fidelity to the hopes and clashes of the late 1960s, this is not one of those novels that putters along like an old pickup truck overloaded with historical cargo. Indeed, as you might expect from the Bellwether imprimatur, “Kingdom of No Tomorrow” is a novel looking to the past as a way of engaging with our current social challenges. Considering her inspiration, Josaphat writes, “The constant killings of Black people at the hands of the police had catapulted me into a very deep introspection about history, about power, and about how Black people around the world engaged in struggle to be seen and respected on equal footing.” Consequently, the dramatic story she tells in these pages traces the current fight for justice, safety, health and nutrition back to a moment when groups of African Americans pursued collective actions, while state and federal officials regarded them as Marxist threats and conspired to....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
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November 21, 2024DNF at halfway through. What I thought was going to be mainly a book about a young woman working with the Black Panthers has turned into a book about a woman who is in love with another woman and a man (both part of the Panther movement).
Not for me. I am not interested in page after page of "who do I love" etc etc. The author also seemed obsessed with the colour of Melvin's gums? I really didn't understand why she kept mentioning them.
The narration by Robin Miles was okay but there were far too many pregnant pauses in the delivery for my liking. A little too melodramatic
Thankyou to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the audio advance review copy.
Not for me. I am not interested in page after page of "who do I love" etc etc. The author also seemed obsessed with the colour of Melvin's gums? I really didn't understand why she kept mentioning them.
The narration by Robin Miles was okay but there were far too many pregnant pauses in the delivery for my liking. A little too melodramatic
Thankyou to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the audio advance review copy.
August 10, 2025
Kingdom of No Tomorrow is a powerful, haunting, and deeply immersive novel that completely swept me away. Fabienne Josaphat brings history to life with a voice that is both lyrical and unflinching, shining a light on a dark chapter of Haiti’s past with extraordinary compassion and insight.
From the very first page, I was struck by the beauty of Josaphat’s prose and the emotional depth she brings to her characters. The tension, the stakes, the humanity. it’s all there, wrapped in a gripping narrative that kept me turning pages late into the night. This isn’t just historical fiction. it’s a bold, necessary story that pulses with urgency and truth.
Josaphat’s ability to portray both the brutality and resilience of the human spirit is unforgettable. Kingdom of No Tomorrow is as heart-wrenching as it is illuminating, and it left me changed in the way only the best novels can.
A brilliant, unforgettable read. Fabienne Josaphat is a literary force.
From the very first page, I was struck by the beauty of Josaphat’s prose and the emotional depth she brings to her characters. The tension, the stakes, the humanity. it’s all there, wrapped in a gripping narrative that kept me turning pages late into the night. This isn’t just historical fiction. it’s a bold, necessary story that pulses with urgency and truth.
Josaphat’s ability to portray both the brutality and resilience of the human spirit is unforgettable. Kingdom of No Tomorrow is as heart-wrenching as it is illuminating, and it left me changed in the way only the best novels can.
A brilliant, unforgettable read. Fabienne Josaphat is a literary force.
December 11, 2024
What I liked
- the setting about Black Panthers and their social programs
- women’s roles in the black panther party (I wish there were more focus on this)
- exploration of sexism within a movement aiming to “liberate”
What didn’t work for me
- a bit too book clubby for my personal taste. I wish there’s more nuance in the characters instead of clear black vs white
- the “romance” arc dragged on too much that made it too soap operay
- the setting about Black Panthers and their social programs
- women’s roles in the black panther party (I wish there were more focus on this)
- exploration of sexism within a movement aiming to “liberate”
What didn’t work for me
- a bit too book clubby for my personal taste. I wish there’s more nuance in the characters instead of clear black vs white
- the “romance” arc dragged on too much that made it too soap operay
March 17, 2025
The story centers on a young woman's struggles in the Black Panther party in the 1960s. Takes part in Haiti, Oakland, and Chicago. Themes of revolution, marxism, political and racial tensions are prevalent throughout. It is a story that earnestly holds values close with characters who are for the most part believable for that time and circumstance, even when they behave in ways that are frustrating. This is an important book today, taking a look at combining domestic issues and navigating relationships amidst political turmoil, and the cost of revolution.
November 3, 2024
I love reading a fictionalized novel about a very real group in American history.
Kingdom of No Tomorrow takes place in the late 60's and at its core is about a Black woman and how her involvement with the Black Panther Party evolves over time just as her relationship with Melvin, a man that becomes a huge part of the Party begins to take over her life.
The first few chapters had a lot thrown my way and I was a bit overwhelmed with the content. But I couldn't help but stand by Nettie, a woman that wanted her equality and freedom in the world. She was looking for education and to help in the medical field. Coming from a family such as hers, she was looking for change and found it within the Black Panther Movement. Unfortunately, being a woman with that Party didn't give her the equality she was seeking and as the story progresses, we see how her involvement with an Oakland leader takes her to Chicago and everyone and everything seems to be working against her and what she was originally fighting for.
I liked the idea of the story and getting to see fictionalized pieces of a very real time in American history. I liked the fact that Josaphat took fictional characters and had them intersecting with real people that were part of the movement. Using the movement and adding a love story between Nettie and Melvin made this story more relatable. But I did NOT like seeing how Nettie was treated by not only Melvin, but other people that were supposed to be working as a unit. Of course that was probably reality. After some life changing events, we are brought to an ending that seemed rushed and a little messy, but overall still gave us a sense of a woman that was looking to find herself, her voice and her strength during a very difficult time.
Overall, this story seemed true to history in which we don't have a lot of books about. I liked that the story was divided into 3 distinct parts that helped keep things straight. In addition, there was character growth over the course of the story. The ending was a bit muddled, but I liked the fact that it came full circle and brought back a character that was in Nettie's life earlier on in the book.
Fabienne Josaphat's novel will appeal to the historical fiction readers that want more insight into the Black Panther Party.
Kingdom of No Tomorrow takes place in the late 60's and at its core is about a Black woman and how her involvement with the Black Panther Party evolves over time just as her relationship with Melvin, a man that becomes a huge part of the Party begins to take over her life.
The first few chapters had a lot thrown my way and I was a bit overwhelmed with the content. But I couldn't help but stand by Nettie, a woman that wanted her equality and freedom in the world. She was looking for education and to help in the medical field. Coming from a family such as hers, she was looking for change and found it within the Black Panther Movement. Unfortunately, being a woman with that Party didn't give her the equality she was seeking and as the story progresses, we see how her involvement with an Oakland leader takes her to Chicago and everyone and everything seems to be working against her and what she was originally fighting for.
I liked the idea of the story and getting to see fictionalized pieces of a very real time in American history. I liked the fact that Josaphat took fictional characters and had them intersecting with real people that were part of the movement. Using the movement and adding a love story between Nettie and Melvin made this story more relatable. But I did NOT like seeing how Nettie was treated by not only Melvin, but other people that were supposed to be working as a unit. Of course that was probably reality. After some life changing events, we are brought to an ending that seemed rushed and a little messy, but overall still gave us a sense of a woman that was looking to find herself, her voice and her strength during a very difficult time.
Overall, this story seemed true to history in which we don't have a lot of books about. I liked that the story was divided into 3 distinct parts that helped keep things straight. In addition, there was character growth over the course of the story. The ending was a bit muddled, but I liked the fact that it came full circle and brought back a character that was in Nettie's life earlier on in the book.
Fabienne Josaphat's novel will appeal to the historical fiction readers that want more insight into the Black Panther Party.
December 4, 2024
4.5 Stars Rounded Up
This audiobook is narrated by Robin Miles. Ms. Miles is one of my favorite audiobook narrators. Her voice is rich, which works to both hold my interest and increase my immersion into the narrative. Her voice also conveys a lot of emotion, which is much needed for this text.
This starts in 1968 in Oakland, California. This focuses on Nettie, a Haitian student, who gets involved with the Black Panther along with her best friend, Clia. Nettie dreams of a new world and takes action to create in actuality what she's only dared to dream in her heart.
Nettie becomes involved with Defense Captain Melvin. Soon pregnant and more into Melvin than he is into her, she follows him to Chicago where disaster finds them and shakes their relationship.
This isn't just about Nettie's relationship with Melvin. It's also about love. What we sacrifice for love, how love uses us, and more. This isn't what I thought it would be. It's not just about the Black Panther Party, but I like the focus on the relationships within the party. I think we grow as people not just from the choices we make but also from the people we love, romantically and otherwise.
The parts that do focus on the Black Panther party really focus on the strengths and the flaws. I was born in 1974, so I'm familiar with how women within the party were treated and sidelined. This is an important aspect not exlpored often enough in novel form. This really explores misogynoir and how it comes both from outside the community and within it.
Thank you to Fabienne Josaphat, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.
This audiobook is narrated by Robin Miles. Ms. Miles is one of my favorite audiobook narrators. Her voice is rich, which works to both hold my interest and increase my immersion into the narrative. Her voice also conveys a lot of emotion, which is much needed for this text.
This starts in 1968 in Oakland, California. This focuses on Nettie, a Haitian student, who gets involved with the Black Panther along with her best friend, Clia. Nettie dreams of a new world and takes action to create in actuality what she's only dared to dream in her heart.
Nettie becomes involved with Defense Captain Melvin. Soon pregnant and more into Melvin than he is into her, she follows him to Chicago where disaster finds them and shakes their relationship.
This isn't just about Nettie's relationship with Melvin. It's also about love. What we sacrifice for love, how love uses us, and more. This isn't what I thought it would be. It's not just about the Black Panther Party, but I like the focus on the relationships within the party. I think we grow as people not just from the choices we make but also from the people we love, romantically and otherwise.
The parts that do focus on the Black Panther party really focus on the strengths and the flaws. I was born in 1974, so I'm familiar with how women within the party were treated and sidelined. This is an important aspect not exlpored often enough in novel form. This really explores misogynoir and how it comes both from outside the community and within it.
Thank you to Fabienne Josaphat, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.
December 5, 2024
Kingdom of No Tomorrow is the beautifully written story of love and revolution. Fabienne Josaphat brings us into the early days of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California.
Nettie is collecting data for sickle cell research when she meets the stoic Melvin. She's instantly drawn to his quiet strength. What follows is a story of a young woman finding herself, both in love and in support of her community.
I enjoyed watching Nettie grow throughout the story. I loved watching her and those around her search for ways to improve the lives of others. My knowledge of the Black Panther Party is very limited, and I did not realize the extent of their outreach programs. I am so impressed by how much these young people were able to accomplish in their early 20s!
Read this if you like:
- historical fiction
- strong female characters
- learning more about the Black experience in America
I'm looking forward to what Fabienne Josaphat writes next!
Nettie is collecting data for sickle cell research when she meets the stoic Melvin. She's instantly drawn to his quiet strength. What follows is a story of a young woman finding herself, both in love and in support of her community.
I enjoyed watching Nettie grow throughout the story. I loved watching her and those around her search for ways to improve the lives of others. My knowledge of the Black Panther Party is very limited, and I did not realize the extent of their outreach programs. I am so impressed by how much these young people were able to accomplish in their early 20s!
Read this if you like:
- historical fiction
- strong female characters
- learning more about the Black experience in America
I'm looking forward to what Fabienne Josaphat writes next!
March 12, 2025
Interesting setting, boring passive protagonist.
Read
April 13, 2025In 2010 I edited and published in The Annals of Iowa an article on the Black Panther Party in Des Moines, Iowa (yes, you read that right), which opened my eyes to the beneficial social programs that the party organized. In the course of her novel, Fabienne Josaphat, too, calls attention to those programs while not minimizing the party's commitment to violence.
June 12, 2025
Really torn about this - 3.5
The historical aspects are phenomenal. It’s great to become immersed in the inner workings of Black Panther projects and see the characters react to real historical revolutionary figures. The majority of the story (the first of three parts) is engrossing.
That being said, a major element of the plot seems to be the struggle of being a woman in a revolutionary movement that is run by men (at least that’s what it reads on the inner jacket). The setup is there - the main character is having issues of bodily autonomy, power dynamics in her relationship, and other issues where it would seem that she is set up for growth and self-empowerment. But that never really happens… certain plot points come in that completely undermine her relationship struggles and show how little she seemed to care about her friend outside of liking the attention from her. Maybe these issues wouldn’t have been so glaring if the end hadn’t been as rushed, but it’s a shame to see the lack of follow through with these themes when the first half was doing so well.
The historical aspects are phenomenal. It’s great to become immersed in the inner workings of Black Panther projects and see the characters react to real historical revolutionary figures. The majority of the story (the first of three parts) is engrossing.
That being said, a major element of the plot seems to be the struggle of being a woman in a revolutionary movement that is run by men (at least that’s what it reads on the inner jacket). The setup is there - the main character is having issues of bodily autonomy, power dynamics in her relationship, and other issues where it would seem that she is set up for growth and self-empowerment. But that never really happens… certain plot points come in that completely undermine her relationship struggles and show how little she seemed to care about her friend outside of liking the attention from her. Maybe these issues wouldn’t have been so glaring if the end hadn’t been as rushed, but it’s a shame to see the lack of follow through with these themes when the first half was doing so well.
January 20, 2025
3.5 stars
When I started this book, I thought I'd be able to learn more about the historical setting that it takes place in. I wanted to learn more about the events that really did take place in real life, but from a single person's perspective. I've always loved the people side of history; I love to look at a significant time in history and learn how the common person's life was at the time. I think this book does a great of showing a person's life, but it isn't as related to the history as I would want it to.
It feels like Nettie wants to make change; she wants to be a part of the revolution and work to create a better future. And I loved that in the beginning. But as soon as this book started to focus on the romance, I thought it had kind of lost this essence. I did appreciate the emphasis on men looking down on women, and despite everyone fighting for the same goal, it seemed like the women were still less than the men. But other than this, the romance added nothing but unnecessary drama. And the book ends with Nettie thinking about love than about the cause that she feels passionate for.
Overall, I expected this book, especially with how it started, to focus on the Black Panther movement from one woman's perspective. But it ended up just being her specific life's story and identity, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's just not what I would have hoped for.
Thank you to Goodreads and Algonquin books for the ARC giveaway! All opinions are my own.
When I started this book, I thought I'd be able to learn more about the historical setting that it takes place in. I wanted to learn more about the events that really did take place in real life, but from a single person's perspective. I've always loved the people side of history; I love to look at a significant time in history and learn how the common person's life was at the time. I think this book does a great of showing a person's life, but it isn't as related to the history as I would want it to.
It feels like Nettie wants to make change; she wants to be a part of the revolution and work to create a better future. And I loved that in the beginning. But as soon as this book started to focus on the romance, I thought it had kind of lost this essence. I did appreciate the emphasis on men looking down on women, and despite everyone fighting for the same goal, it seemed like the women were still less than the men. But other than this, the romance added nothing but unnecessary drama. And the book ends with Nettie thinking about love than about the cause that she feels passionate for.
Overall, I expected this book, especially with how it started, to focus on the Black Panther movement from one woman's perspective. But it ended up just being her specific life's story and identity, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's just not what I would have hoped for.
Thank you to Goodreads and Algonquin books for the ARC giveaway! All opinions are my own.
January 19, 2025
A great book, beautifully written, immediately engaging. Loved the historical aspects of the revolutionary 1960s and its characters, their humanity. Highly recommend.
September 24, 2024
This was a riveting read about a woman, who is from a family of revolutionaries, becomes involved with the Black Panther movement. While there have been a number of non fiction books, it's not often that there is a work of fiction that also has Fred Hampton and other luminaries of the movement, intersect with main characters. Here Nettie soon becomes slowly convinced to join the movement after falling in love with a leader in Northern California. And, despite about freedom and equality for Black people, she soon discovers, that it may be only for the men, and women still have to fight for their rights. This read will satisfy lovers of historical fiction.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
March 3, 2025
This fictional story wears the mantle of meticulous research into the late 1960’s Black Panther Movement. And it wears the mantel proudly and unflinchingly.
I see some criticism in reviews of the “digression” of the story by portraying a doomed love affair between a woman recruit and a Black Panther major player.
For myself, I found the weaving of the radical setting and high stakes of militant politics to be fleshed out more fully in the attraction and later affair and commitment of the couple.
This particular plot device leads us much deeper into the risks, dangerous power politics and tremendous loss of personal autonomy when fully committed to revolution.
This was a well written, magnificently researched novel bringing to the forefront political divisions still in effect in our present times.
Amazing. Heart breaking. A call to the past as well as the future.
I see some criticism in reviews of the “digression” of the story by portraying a doomed love affair between a woman recruit and a Black Panther major player.
For myself, I found the weaving of the radical setting and high stakes of militant politics to be fleshed out more fully in the attraction and later affair and commitment of the couple.
This particular plot device leads us much deeper into the risks, dangerous power politics and tremendous loss of personal autonomy when fully committed to revolution.
This was a well written, magnificently researched novel bringing to the forefront political divisions still in effect in our present times.
Amazing. Heart breaking. A call to the past as well as the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2025
3.5 stars. I enjoyed learning about the role of women in the Black Panther party. I thought Fabienne Josaphat did an excellent job of portraying tension within the movement and of providing social context for the party, specifically the link between its revolutionary activities and other revolutions in the world, especially in Haiti. Finally, it was very interesting to observe gender dynamics in the party and the role of sexuality in the movement. However, I failed to connect emotionally with the characters, which unfortunately greatly impeded my enjoyment. Still, I found this book informative and I’m glad to have read it even though it’s not what I would call a captivating read.
December 22, 2025
Historical, yes, but still incredibly relevant to know and understand how truly revolutionary it is to strive to ensure that one’s community can eat, be educated, and have health care, particularly in the face of a system and people in power hellbent on denying those basic needs to anyone not white like them.
February 15, 2025
Once I got into this book, I could remove myself from the romance and dig into the history. The main character gets involved with the Black Panthers in Oakland and then chicago, and that part was really great. And sad and awful. The author did a ton of research and there are parts of Fred Hampton’s speeches and some stuff on the weathermen. (All of which made me realize I don’t know history very well, even recent resistance in the US).
In the end I really liked the main character and the focus on female solidarity.
In the end I really liked the main character and the focus on female solidarity.
2024
June 3, 2024📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books
September 25, 2025
B- Audiobook
December 23, 2024
Snagged this audiobook without much knowledge going into it and I was pleasantly blown away. Nettie is a complex, strong, intelligent woman who is making her way in a time period that I have practically zero understanding of. I feel in school we would be lucky if we even got to MLK by the end of the semester. I was SHOCKED that Fred Hampton was only 21! Nettie’s story felt so real and alive and the decisions she had to make were so difficult, I was hooked. Looking foreword to learning more about this pivotal time in America.
As a kid, I loved those Dear America books about girls growing up through difficult US history events and this felt like the adult version
As a kid, I loved those Dear America books about girls growing up through difficult US history events and this felt like the adult version
February 22, 2025
bleh
the most interesting parts of this story were about the panthers and their programs, why was there a romance plot? why was this a romance novel?
i didn’t care much for the characters, i thought the plot was a little contrived. The stuff about communism in Pre Duvalier Haiti was super interesting…
shrug
the most interesting parts of this story were about the panthers and their programs, why was there a romance plot? why was this a romance novel?
i didn’t care much for the characters, i thought the plot was a little contrived. The stuff about communism in Pre Duvalier Haiti was super interesting…
shrug
November 28, 2024
Audiobook Review 🎧 | NetGalley ALC
Sigh… this book had all the tropes I personally despise the most and I was ready to DNF but I surprisingly was able to push through.
There should’ve been a trigger warning for pregnancy loss!
The violence wasn’t explicitly and extensively described in the book however you might want to take that into consideration.
When I read the description I was expecting more in depth information about the dynamics of the Black Panther Party. I didn’t expect the romance to take over the plot this much.
I think this could’ve been so much more but it was alright.
Tropes:
- Surprise pregnancy
- Cheating
- “Love triangle”
- Found family
My rating system:
Narration: 4
Story: 2
Entertainment: 2
Emotions: 3
Overall: 2.75
Spice level: 🍦
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing an advanced listener copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Sigh… this book had all the tropes I personally despise the most and I was ready to DNF but I surprisingly was able to push through.
There should’ve been a trigger warning for pregnancy loss!
The violence wasn’t explicitly and extensively described in the book however you might want to take that into consideration.
When I read the description I was expecting more in depth information about the dynamics of the Black Panther Party. I didn’t expect the romance to take over the plot this much.
I think this could’ve been so much more but it was alright.
Tropes:
- Surprise pregnancy
- Cheating
- “Love triangle”
- Found family
My rating system:
Narration: 4
Story: 2
Entertainment: 2
Emotions: 3
Overall: 2.75
Spice level: 🍦
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing an advanced listener copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2024
DNF. I wanted to enjoy this book. I did until about halfway through - however, it became too much of a struggle of who to love rather than to create an analysis of pregnancy, black womanhood, the Black Panthers, the Civil Rights Movement, etc which is what I *thought* I was going to read. This book could definitely be for someone, it was just not for me.
December 14, 2024
A young woman is caught up in a revolutionary movement in Fabienne Josaphat's historical novel, KINGDOM OF NO TOMORROW.
College student Nettie Boileau is living in Oakland, California, and studying to become a doctor when her friend and one-time lover, Clia, introduces her to the Black Panther Party. Nettie is immediately attracted to the “seductive fearlessness” of the group, which preaches the gospel of radical liberation and community power. (Josaphat includes stirring excerpts from real speeches by historical figures such as Stokely Carmichael and Fred Hampton to help explain the Panthers’ message.) She's also drawn to Melvin Mosley, a committed foot soldier in the Panthers' war against white supremacy and imperialism. But Nettie's interest in the era's leftist political movements (the book opens in 1968) is tempered by her own painful history with rebellion and resistance.
When Nettie was a child in Haiti, her doctor father was part of the opposition to dictator François “Papa Doc” Duvalier. She witnessed his murder at the hands of Duvalier’s supporters. The newly orphaned Nettie (her mother died from complications of childbirth) went to live with her aunt in America. But that traumatic past has shaped her in ways that Nettie is reluctant to unpack, at least at first. She holds herself apart from others. A potential romantic relationship with Clia sputters. She loves her aunt, her only living family, while also resenting what she sees as Tante Mado’s judgment and disapproval.
When her white, SDS-member neighbor, Gilda, makes overtures of friendship, Nettie is understandably standoffish. But the Panthers represent a chance to be part of something larger than herself. She is drawn to the group because of their work in the community, which includes free clinics and a breakfast program for children. At the same time, she's occasionally troubled by their willingness to engage in what they argue is politically necessary violence. “Anyone who says that nonviolence is a solution is a fool and a jackass,” one character declares early on. Nettie isn’t so sure.
Josaphat's book highlights how even as radical political movements fight to topple systems of oppression, they can perpetuate other forms of power. Women like Nettie occupy a complex and contested space within the Panther movement. On the one hand, they are a vital part of the group, often taking on the daily grunt work needed to support their various programs. At the same time, it's the men who hold most of the visible power. Some of them don't hesitate to use that power to their own benefit, as Clia discovers when she gets involved with a toxic, abusive man named Clayton, who argues that it’s “counterrevolutionary” for her to reject his advances. Nettie's deepening relationship with the enigmatic Melvin is also colored by these tensions, as she struggles to balance her desire for a future with the man she loves with their shared commitment to the Panther cause.
Nettie and Melvin's relationship only gets more complicated when she follows him to Chicago, where he is working with the charismatic but doomed Fred Hampton. The specter of violence hangs over the novel, and it arrives in waves in the book's thrilling final third, when the action accelerates. Nettie finds herself navigating an increasingly volatile personal and political situation as it becomes clear there’s a traitor to the cause in the Panthers’ Chicago chapter.
Ultimately, it's the women in Nettie’s life --- some of whom she's been holding at arm's length --- who come through for her when she needs it most, in an emotional testament to the power of sisterhood.
Reviewed by Megan Elliott
College student Nettie Boileau is living in Oakland, California, and studying to become a doctor when her friend and one-time lover, Clia, introduces her to the Black Panther Party. Nettie is immediately attracted to the “seductive fearlessness” of the group, which preaches the gospel of radical liberation and community power. (Josaphat includes stirring excerpts from real speeches by historical figures such as Stokely Carmichael and Fred Hampton to help explain the Panthers’ message.) She's also drawn to Melvin Mosley, a committed foot soldier in the Panthers' war against white supremacy and imperialism. But Nettie's interest in the era's leftist political movements (the book opens in 1968) is tempered by her own painful history with rebellion and resistance.
When Nettie was a child in Haiti, her doctor father was part of the opposition to dictator François “Papa Doc” Duvalier. She witnessed his murder at the hands of Duvalier’s supporters. The newly orphaned Nettie (her mother died from complications of childbirth) went to live with her aunt in America. But that traumatic past has shaped her in ways that Nettie is reluctant to unpack, at least at first. She holds herself apart from others. A potential romantic relationship with Clia sputters. She loves her aunt, her only living family, while also resenting what she sees as Tante Mado’s judgment and disapproval.
When her white, SDS-member neighbor, Gilda, makes overtures of friendship, Nettie is understandably standoffish. But the Panthers represent a chance to be part of something larger than herself. She is drawn to the group because of their work in the community, which includes free clinics and a breakfast program for children. At the same time, she's occasionally troubled by their willingness to engage in what they argue is politically necessary violence. “Anyone who says that nonviolence is a solution is a fool and a jackass,” one character declares early on. Nettie isn’t so sure.
Josaphat's book highlights how even as radical political movements fight to topple systems of oppression, they can perpetuate other forms of power. Women like Nettie occupy a complex and contested space within the Panther movement. On the one hand, they are a vital part of the group, often taking on the daily grunt work needed to support their various programs. At the same time, it's the men who hold most of the visible power. Some of them don't hesitate to use that power to their own benefit, as Clia discovers when she gets involved with a toxic, abusive man named Clayton, who argues that it’s “counterrevolutionary” for her to reject his advances. Nettie's deepening relationship with the enigmatic Melvin is also colored by these tensions, as she struggles to balance her desire for a future with the man she loves with their shared commitment to the Panther cause.
Nettie and Melvin's relationship only gets more complicated when she follows him to Chicago, where he is working with the charismatic but doomed Fred Hampton. The specter of violence hangs over the novel, and it arrives in waves in the book's thrilling final third, when the action accelerates. Nettie finds herself navigating an increasingly volatile personal and political situation as it becomes clear there’s a traitor to the cause in the Panthers’ Chicago chapter.
Ultimately, it's the women in Nettie’s life --- some of whom she's been holding at arm's length --- who come through for her when she needs it most, in an emotional testament to the power of sisterhood.
Reviewed by Megan Elliott
December 9, 2024
The Aspen Prize has delivered up another stunner, a book I had not heard of prior to its longlisting. Its protagonist is Nettie, a 20 year old public health student of Haitian descent. When the novel opens, it's 1968, and she and her best friend Clia are collecting field data for a study on sickle cell being run by the Black Panthers. As the novel unfolds, Nettie and the reader become more and more immersed in the Black Panther world. I found it totally absorbing and was impressed by the balanced picture of the organisation that Josaphat created. The impact of the institutional racism faced by Black people was clearly depicted and underpinned the many social programs that the Black Panthers funded , such as health clinics and free breakfasts for school children. But the organisation was committed to radical change. Members were undeniably the victims of police violence and brutality (so much to say about the police actions from ignoring harassment of and assaults on Blacks, to destroying essential medical supplies, to cold blooded murder, and the way so little has changed in more than 50 years) but were prepared to use violence themselves. Nettie had seen the cost of violent struggle in Haiti (her father was murdered for his opposition to Duvalier's regime) and struggled with this aspect of the Panther organisation. The novel also highlights the sexist and misogynistic way women in the organisation were treated both by individual Black Panthers and the organisation itself. And the secrecy and sometimes long hours required by the Black Panthers plus their insistence on total devotion to the cause, made personal relationships very difficult.
This book is more than just a nuanced portrayal of the Black Panthers. It's also very much a tale of Nettie's coming of age. A lot of this is political as she learns more about the Panthers and is often spellbound by some of their amazing orators. But she also harbours doubts and reservations and has to find a way to balance her conflicting thoughts and feelings, to discover how much she is prepared to sacrifice and what role she is willing to play. But this novel is also Nettie's personal coming of age.
She has to choose who she wants a sexual and romantic relationship with - Clia or Melvin, a charismatic party leader. Additionally she needs to work out who she is as a person and what sort of life she wants to live; not always easy given the strong preferences of her loving but overbearing aunt who raised her following her father's death.
This might not be a perfect novel but I was captivated by it. Nettie was my sort of protagonist - intelligent and strong, well-intentioned, yet realistically flawed - and I loved getting to know her and sharing her journey. I also loved Josaphat's writing - surprise, surprise she's also a poet - and will be hunting down her debut novel. I found the characters to be well-drawn; they certainly came alive for me. The plot was richly layered, with plenty of action but also many quieter but equally compelling moments. The settings, especially the Panther enclave in Oakland were richly drawn. Josaphat has clearly done plenty of research and I certainly learned a lot. Yet this never got in the way of the story but felt an intrinsic part of it. Highly recommend giving this book a go.
Many thanks to @NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC. Kingdom of No Tomorrow is out now.
This book is more than just a nuanced portrayal of the Black Panthers. It's also very much a tale of Nettie's coming of age. A lot of this is political as she learns more about the Panthers and is often spellbound by some of their amazing orators. But she also harbours doubts and reservations and has to find a way to balance her conflicting thoughts and feelings, to discover how much she is prepared to sacrifice and what role she is willing to play. But this novel is also Nettie's personal coming of age.
She has to choose who she wants a sexual and romantic relationship with - Clia or Melvin, a charismatic party leader. Additionally she needs to work out who she is as a person and what sort of life she wants to live; not always easy given the strong preferences of her loving but overbearing aunt who raised her following her father's death.
This might not be a perfect novel but I was captivated by it. Nettie was my sort of protagonist - intelligent and strong, well-intentioned, yet realistically flawed - and I loved getting to know her and sharing her journey. I also loved Josaphat's writing - surprise, surprise she's also a poet - and will be hunting down her debut novel. I found the characters to be well-drawn; they certainly came alive for me. The plot was richly layered, with plenty of action but also many quieter but equally compelling moments. The settings, especially the Panther enclave in Oakland were richly drawn. Josaphat has clearly done plenty of research and I certainly learned a lot. Yet this never got in the way of the story but felt an intrinsic part of it. Highly recommend giving this book a go.
Many thanks to @NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC. Kingdom of No Tomorrow is out now.
April 15, 2025
Nettie is a Haitian public health student in California. While she is visiting Oakland patients, as a part of her public health project, she sees the visible racism shown black residents. One black family living in a white community and being tormented by their neighbors. Her friend and student partner Clea recognizes the abuse and immediately calls the Black Panthers in to assist. The brother that shows up takes Nettie’s breath away. Girlfriend is intrigued by his look, his smell, and the way he handles a gun! (Watch out Nettie girl!)
Nettie is a woman looking for her purpose and identity. She is exploring her sexuality questioning if she is gay or straight, her political affiliation (democratic or socialist), and her political approach (non-violent or radical). My girl is confused!
She grew up in Haiti and her father was a revolutionary so she understands the ways of the Black Panthers. But her struggle stems from her father being murdered in the name of the revolution, and her coming to America to be raised by her boogie aunt. Both lifestyles have created this dichotomy that she will need to reconcile.
However, my boy Melvin, the black ideal man, has piqued Nettie’s interest, which is leading her right into the revolutionary BP party. But Melvin has been clear he is not in the revolution to find love. Her girl Clea, on the other hand, who brought Nettie to the party, is the one trying to lead her to a life a peace. Nettie and Clea have been more than friends, and I’m pretty sure Clea has accepted her sexuality while Nettie is still on the fence. Clea is also experiencing the male chauvinist practices of the party, and feeling as if she cannot climb the ranks without putting out. So while Clea is looking for an escape to live life free in an Orange grove, Nettie trying to see what Melvin talking about.
Nettie and Melvin fall for each other, and create life, but his leadership role in the BPP takes him away, forces him to mingle and politic with women and others. Leaving Nettie concerned,unsure, and vulnerable.
She is approached by the FBI and the agent plays on her insecurities.
“Love is a growing up”- James Baldwin is quoted in the last act of the book and baby Nettie definitely has to grow up. She loses the baby in a police raid of the clinic where she works. She accuses Melvin of cheating on her while she catches lip-locked with another woman. She surrounds herself with the women of the party, but feels empty without Melvin.
They of course reconnect and attempt to complete a mission together. Melvin is killed and she narrowly escapes. She runs to Clea who is still a little bitter she wasn’t Nettie’s chosen love. But the novel ends with them in each other’s arms and Melvin’s seed growing between them.
Very interesting story of the experience of women in the BPP, and a young Haitian immigrant in the US.
Nettie is a woman looking for her purpose and identity. She is exploring her sexuality questioning if she is gay or straight, her political affiliation (democratic or socialist), and her political approach (non-violent or radical). My girl is confused!
She grew up in Haiti and her father was a revolutionary so she understands the ways of the Black Panthers. But her struggle stems from her father being murdered in the name of the revolution, and her coming to America to be raised by her boogie aunt. Both lifestyles have created this dichotomy that she will need to reconcile.
However, my boy Melvin, the black ideal man, has piqued Nettie’s interest, which is leading her right into the revolutionary BP party. But Melvin has been clear he is not in the revolution to find love. Her girl Clea, on the other hand, who brought Nettie to the party, is the one trying to lead her to a life a peace. Nettie and Clea have been more than friends, and I’m pretty sure Clea has accepted her sexuality while Nettie is still on the fence. Clea is also experiencing the male chauvinist practices of the party, and feeling as if she cannot climb the ranks without putting out. So while Clea is looking for an escape to live life free in an Orange grove, Nettie trying to see what Melvin talking about.
Nettie and Melvin fall for each other, and create life, but his leadership role in the BPP takes him away, forces him to mingle and politic with women and others. Leaving Nettie concerned,unsure, and vulnerable.
She is approached by the FBI and the agent plays on her insecurities.
“Love is a growing up”- James Baldwin is quoted in the last act of the book and baby Nettie definitely has to grow up. She loses the baby in a police raid of the clinic where she works. She accuses Melvin of cheating on her while she catches lip-locked with another woman. She surrounds herself with the women of the party, but feels empty without Melvin.
They of course reconnect and attempt to complete a mission together. Melvin is killed and she narrowly escapes. She runs to Clea who is still a little bitter she wasn’t Nettie’s chosen love. But the novel ends with them in each other’s arms and Melvin’s seed growing between them.
Very interesting story of the experience of women in the BPP, and a young Haitian immigrant in the US.
August 3, 2024
Outside the window was thunder, lightning, and a fierce rain, and inside Fabienne Josaphat’s novel, Kingdom of No Tomorrow a storm raged as well. A storm that’s raged so many times, the oppressed against the oppressor. A storm that rages all around us today.
Kingdom of No Tomorrow’s storm is the storm of the Black Panthers. No, not the Marvel Studio superhero Black Panther fantasy movie, the doomed Black Panther Party of the late 1960s era. The Black Power movement forerunner to Black Lives Matter.
What image comes to mind when you think of the Black Panthers? A macho Black man dressed in a black coat with a black beret? Maybe with a big gun in his hand?
But this paramilitary figure wasn’t at the core of the Black Panthers. It was a woman hell-bent on helping those around her. Someone like Josaphat’s main character, Nettie, with her clipboard in a sickle cell clinic. For the movement was more about health, food, and education than it was about guns. The brutal, scary Black Panther was an image created by the cunning FBI and spewed out by the media. Afterall, a big Black man out to kill whitey gets more eyes than a composed Black woman testing for the “colored’s” sickle cell disease or filling hundreds of bags of free groceries.
Kingdom of No Tomorrow takes readers on a journey of revolutionary hope, sacrifice, and disappointment seen through the eyes of the empowered women who made up most of the Black Panther membership. Resolute women who had each other’s backs. Charismatic women who stood uncrushed in the crushing gears of politics, violence, and systematic sexual inequality. As Nettie thinks in the book, “This was the life she’d stepped into, and there was no glamour in it. No glory. Not even the promise of a rising sun.” Yet, she persisted.
The 2023 winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction established by Barbara Kingsolver, it’s an emotional and important story few know. The novel is well-researched, true to history, filled and insightful as to the perils and promises of revolutionary thinking, especially when love and conflicting values are involved. The characters are crisp and well-developed. Suspense builds nicely, especially in last half of the book. Set both in Oakland, California and Chicago, with links back to the disappointingly barbarous Papa Doc years of Haiti.
Very readable. Put it on the top of your book list and read it.
Thank you to Fabienne Josaphat for getting Hatchet to send me an advance copy
Kingdom of No Tomorrow’s storm is the storm of the Black Panthers. No, not the Marvel Studio superhero Black Panther fantasy movie, the doomed Black Panther Party of the late 1960s era. The Black Power movement forerunner to Black Lives Matter.
What image comes to mind when you think of the Black Panthers? A macho Black man dressed in a black coat with a black beret? Maybe with a big gun in his hand?
But this paramilitary figure wasn’t at the core of the Black Panthers. It was a woman hell-bent on helping those around her. Someone like Josaphat’s main character, Nettie, with her clipboard in a sickle cell clinic. For the movement was more about health, food, and education than it was about guns. The brutal, scary Black Panther was an image created by the cunning FBI and spewed out by the media. Afterall, a big Black man out to kill whitey gets more eyes than a composed Black woman testing for the “colored’s” sickle cell disease or filling hundreds of bags of free groceries.
Kingdom of No Tomorrow takes readers on a journey of revolutionary hope, sacrifice, and disappointment seen through the eyes of the empowered women who made up most of the Black Panther membership. Resolute women who had each other’s backs. Charismatic women who stood uncrushed in the crushing gears of politics, violence, and systematic sexual inequality. As Nettie thinks in the book, “This was the life she’d stepped into, and there was no glamour in it. No glory. Not even the promise of a rising sun.” Yet, she persisted.
The 2023 winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction established by Barbara Kingsolver, it’s an emotional and important story few know. The novel is well-researched, true to history, filled and insightful as to the perils and promises of revolutionary thinking, especially when love and conflicting values are involved. The characters are crisp and well-developed. Suspense builds nicely, especially in last half of the book. Set both in Oakland, California and Chicago, with links back to the disappointingly barbarous Papa Doc years of Haiti.
Very readable. Put it on the top of your book list and read it.
Thank you to Fabienne Josaphat for getting Hatchet to send me an advance copy
February 24, 2025
Winner of this year's PEN Bellwether Award for Socially Engaged Fiction, Josephat's novel about the Black Panthers, both in Oakland CA and Chicago IL, is well worth reading. It takes you back to the sixties, when the Panthers were organizing with both the energy of guns and Breakfast for Children programs. "Kingdom of No Tomorrow," goes right inside the Party, as seen and experienced by a young woman, born in Haiti, who lost her own father to the Ton Ton Macoute under Duvalier. This tale is about love and politics, politics and love, and it touched a chord in this reader, with her own history as a "red diaper baby" and political activist in the Movement of those times. I remember stopping to observe police as they interacted with black people in my Oakland neighborhood, as instructed by the Black Panther Party. I remember chanting "The Sky's the Limit," and "Free Huey Newton" at demonstrations. I even remember sleeping one night at the local Panther office around the corner from where I lived, on the theory that if white people were in there, the "pigs," as they Party named them, would be less likely to charge in and kill folks, as they had done with Fred Hampton and others by then. So for me, this book was compelling and upsetting both at once, and definitely still relevant in the country we have today. And it took me in so much deeper, to places I could not have gone in person. Josephat has done her research and knows how to transform facts into radiant fiction. And she brings to all this a Haitian outlook that adds another related and engrossing dimension to the tale. My only quibble, and it did bother me more than once, is that she her portrait of Oakland neighborhoods didn't quite ring true, and she was consistently inaccurate about the geography of Northern California, heading down to Big Sur on Hwy 80 East at one point, and another time even throwing in that Los Angeles was north of Oakland. Small criticism, compared to everything she does right...this book is a lucid rendering of a time that is still close by.
December 16, 2024
[Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE...
• Romance with your revolution
• History of the Black Panthers
I THOUGHT IT WAS...
An interesting but frustrating historical fiction novel set in the heart of the Black Panther movement. Nettie, a student in Oakland, is introduced to the Black Panthers by her close friend and completely drawn in by stoic and handsome Melvin. When Melvin helps to establish a chapter in Chicago, he asks Nettie to throw caution to the wind and move with him, changing her life completely.
I thought Josaphat captured well the essence of what it was like for young Black men and women to face constant oppression while trying to organize for their communities. And since the movement brought young Black men and women together, it also inevitably caused interpersonal relationships, some not quite to the revolutionary standard that was preached.
Interpersonal relationships are very much the framework through which Josaphat explores the Black Panthers. And while it's a side of this history that contains stories that deserve to be told, I wish it had been told through a less naive character than Nettie. Nettie is immature, insecure, and in some instances, selfish, in her relationships, and there were several times I was exasperated by her decisions. It was also frustrating to be with a character only involved in the movement due to romantic attachments, even though she constantly tries to pretend that's not the case. I'm sure there were people who were in Nettie's shoes, but I think I expected a story where the Black Panther movement was more front and center.
READ IF YOU LIKE...
• Romance with your revolution
• History of the Black Panthers
I THOUGHT IT WAS...
An interesting but frustrating historical fiction novel set in the heart of the Black Panther movement. Nettie, a student in Oakland, is introduced to the Black Panthers by her close friend and completely drawn in by stoic and handsome Melvin. When Melvin helps to establish a chapter in Chicago, he asks Nettie to throw caution to the wind and move with him, changing her life completely.
I thought Josaphat captured well the essence of what it was like for young Black men and women to face constant oppression while trying to organize for their communities. And since the movement brought young Black men and women together, it also inevitably caused interpersonal relationships, some not quite to the revolutionary standard that was preached.
Interpersonal relationships are very much the framework through which Josaphat explores the Black Panthers. And while it's a side of this history that contains stories that deserve to be told, I wish it had been told through a less naive character than Nettie. Nettie is immature, insecure, and in some instances, selfish, in her relationships, and there were several times I was exasperated by her decisions. It was also frustrating to be with a character only involved in the movement due to romantic attachments, even though she constantly tries to pretend that's not the case. I'm sure there were people who were in Nettie's shoes, but I think I expected a story where the Black Panther movement was more front and center.
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