Belonging to the Air

by Avery Irons

Honest "Bird" Bennett is a young Black girl with a hunger to learn what lies beyond the walls she shares with her mother, Maddy, and her grandmother, Odelia. Their home resonates with the hum of Maddy's sewing machine, echoes of Bird preparing supper, and Odelia's stories of times past. The women live in Bennettsville, Illinois, a freedmen's town established by Bird's great-grandfather, where rural life pulses with church song and where peace is fragile with the neighboring white town, Tuckersville. As Bird comes of age, she must reckon with turbulence at home and with what it means to fall in love with a childhood friend. As an adult, rejecting a life of self-denial, Bird spreads her wings and finds a new home in Harlem. After a decade of growth and loss, she is summoned back to Bennettsville to confront her kin and her past as Tuckersville residents try to drive Black families from their own land.

In Belonging to the Air: A Novel, author Avery Irons follows one family's intergenerational experience of the Great Migration. Among the novel's cast of characters are a blind matriarch, women who heal with herbs, and queer lovers. Irons's evocative and lyrical prose imagines a world in which these complicated characters try to care for one another in a country that does not care about them. History talks to and through itself as elders confront youngsters and as racism shapeshifts in rural and urban settings across the decades. With dialogue that jumps off the page and rings with a truth that lingers, Belonging to the Air urges readers to think about how constructions of race, love, and freedom have―and have not―changed over time, demanding that we consider the wisdom of our inner selves while we listen to that of our elders.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Queer

296 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2026

Reviews

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Touching, but slow.

The story of Honest "Bird" Bennett is profoundly deep and heartfelt. Navigating adolescence, coming of age, and learning the harsh reality of life, Avery Irons weaves a fantastic tale of survival and determination. This book held wonderful points of prose that stop you in your tracks and make you ponder the profundity of what has been written.

Unfortunately, I just feel like the story drags a bit. There is movement and direction, of course, but it's just not at a speed that made me feel engaged or curious. This is a beautiful novel if you're looking for something to slow down and enjoy reading, but not if you're looking for punchy lit fic.

Thank you to NetGalley and University Press of Kentucky for an ARC of this book.

[S. L. Hemmings-Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
This book contains a great story with themes of race, privilege, queerness, loss, and oppression. It’s a very heartfelt read and I enjoyed learning about the character as I continued to read through the story, seeing all the ways she had changed and stayed the same as a result of her upbringing, her environment, and who she was at her core as she got older.
I did find the pace to be rather slow for my liking, and I feel that some parts of the book felt a bit stagnant, however I enjoyed how it picked up throughout the middle.
This book is overwhelmingly about oppression but there are many moments of queer and black joy throughout, showing that even when the world wants to oppress us, we are still powerful enough to make our own joy, our own world, entirely, and fight against it. I found this book rather hopeful and I feel that others will, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[TheNovelNomad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Belonging to the Air is a quiet, luminous novel that asks the reader to slow down and truly listen to history, to family, and to the inner voice that insists on becoming more.

Avery Irons writes with a lyrical tenderness that makes everyday moments feel weighted with meaning. From the rhythms of domestic life in Bennettsville to Bird’s later years in Harlem, the novel captures how place shapes identity, and how leaving home does not free us from it so much as deepen our understanding of it. Honest “Bird” Bennett is a compelling protagonist: curious, observant, and brave in her refusal to live a life of self-denial.

What stayed with me most was the intergenerational texture of the story. The women in Bird’s life,her mother, her grandmother, the elders of the community,carry memory, love, and harm in equal measure. The novel does not flatten them into symbols; instead, it allows contradiction, tenderness, and silence to coexist. The exploration of Black queer life is handled with care and grace, woven naturally into the fabric of family and community rather than treated as an aside.

This is not a fast or flashy book, but it is a deeply rewarding one. Its power lies in accumulation: of voice, of history, of feeling. By the time Bird is called back home, the emotional weight of that return feels fully earned.

A moving, thoughtful novel about belonging, inheritance, and the courage it takes to choose oneself. I’ll be thinking about this story long after turning the final page.

[Jitske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you read a story that is a quiet tale but a tale with large feelings. That is 'Belonging to the air' for me. It creeps up on you at first and then packs a punch.

We follow Honest "Bird" Bennett growing up in Bennetsville as a black girl living with her grandmother, a blind woman who is a matriarch to her family but also to the town, and her mother Maddy, a troubled woman. Bird is a child searching for a sense of belonging, identity, love and her place in the world. She dreams about spreading her wings and travelling to places like New York.
I am very impressed by the journey Irons takes us on. The novel is like an onion with layers that are gradually peeled back, both in the storyline but more so in the character development. Quite a few times I had made assumptions about characters to later discover I had been completely wrong or to see them learn to be better less prejudiced people.

The way in which Bird's queer identity unfolds I found really interesting: from a young Bird on discovery, to a Bird with her wings clipped by her family and society as a whole, to a Bird who flies freely and accepts herself and finally the acceptance of the people around her.
I wholeheartedly recommend this wonderful coming of age story!

Thank you to Netgalley and University Press of Kentucky for the Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Kuu]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

DNF 34%. I have been trying to read this for literal MONTHS, but somehow, I just really can't do it. The book seems like it has a LOT of potential, and I really did enjoy the part I have read so far, both topic-wise (again, definitely think there's a lot of potential here and it's a very interesting and also important topic!) and writing-wise (I really do like the prose). I really cannot say why it is so difficult for me to read this, because objectively and if my brain wasn't so weird right now, this would be the kind of book I would really enjoy. It's a 4 star so far, but I will not put an official star rating as that would feel a bit disingenuous considering I didn't actually finish it. But that was definitely no fault of the book itself.

[agus · Rating 5 out of 5]

"She called you bird with the hope that you'd belong to the air and be free like them".
Belonging to the Air is a story about Bird, a young Black girl, her family and the people of Bennettsville, a close-knit and God-fearing Black community, facing the dangers brought by a neighboring white town.
I adored Bird as a character and grew deeply fond of her in these pages. I loved seeing her evolve into a strong, decisive, and direct woman, taking after her mother. I enjoyed getting to know her and to be present through her hardships and heartbreaks, as well as her journey loving women in the early 20th century.
I enjoyed how each part was written. The first parts were painful and emotional, making me empathize with Bird, Maddy, and Odelia. The final part was the most entertaining, following Bird as she gets on an adventure born out of pain and grief, accepting that her town was never actually hers and looking for a place to belong. Seeing her coming back and leading her community was the best part.
We also get to immerse ourselves in the Black experience and community, both in the countryside and the city, during that time.
This was an incredible experience and I loved it beginning to end.
Thank you University Press of Kentucky and Netgalley for for the advanced electronic review copy of this book.

[jayden abel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Possible Spoilers*

I absolutely adored Belonging to the Air by Avery Irons. A short read, the author did a good job unpacking the familial trauma and expectations hefted upon Black women. I enjoyed exploring racism, sexism, and homophobia from inside the confines of a Black community. While no one is forced to avoid a sidewalk when seeing a White person, the fears and traditions of marginalized people can still cultivate bias and inequality. Time jumping through different points of Bird’s life as she went from adolescence to adulthood was a cool technique to explore 1920s and 1930s America from the perspective of a well-to-do Black woman.

I found the main character, Honest, nicknamed Bird, to be an interesting and likable narrator. In a lot of ways, she is the product of fear. Her mother’s fear of vulnerability, her grandmother’s fear of failure, and her town’s fear of difference. Bennettsville, an all-Black town founded by Bird’s great-great grandfather, is traditional and not accepting. Bird was born out of wedlock, a fact that the townsfolk won’t let go. Maddy, Bird’s mother, is detached and cool as a result of her anger and ostracization. While she loves Bird immensely, she has an uncompromising idea of how to raise her. Odelia, Bird’s grandmother, is more open with her affection, but also tries to subdue her queerness. Bitterness obviously simmers. The bond of family runs strong for the Bennetts, but the rigid walls of it forces Bird out of the nest.

I loved the scenery of Harlem that Irons portrays. It’s bustling, but not in a cliched way, more in a “systematic cohesion of people” way. The New York crowd that Bird gets to know is quirky and complicated. One of her situationship partners was raped by a family member in an attempt to “straighten” her out. Bird ends up caring for said situationship’s son as his mother is sent to prison. Bird’s landlord who is a devout “fearer” of God, initially is intolerant to queer folks, but ends up being a support system for Bird as her world falls apart and rebuilds itself. I found it interesting how Bird isn’t ashamed of who she is, but actively chooses not to make herself known in lgbtqia+ circles. There are different ways to fight the system, and Bird prioritizes a consistent income and quietly being gay. Bird’s relationships (not just her romantic ones) read like a soap opera. Dramatic with a ton of interpersonal betrayals. I was happy for her when she found peace with a kind woman who challenges her own world outlook. Good for her.

Bennettsville was an interesting place to begin and end the novel. The community is loving, but can be judgy and inconsiderate. Bird returns home after more than a decade when word reaches her that the White men in the town over are more determined than ever to take Bennetville’s land. She decides to sell her land, but only for a fair price. Of course this gets her family home burnt down. While it was bittersweet, I was satisfied with the residents of Bennettsville leaving in all directions to find new homes. A lot of what Bird discovers throughout the book is that perspective can be as limiting as it can be eye-opening. Belonging isn’t just about a shared location, surrounding yourself with people who love you is what makes it count. I also liked that when Bird was in New York, Irons capitalized the term “Black,” but in the chapters that take place in Bennettsville, it’s lowercase. An interesting way to highlight how separate environments make us consider our identities and alter perspective, even in seemingly small ways.

There is a lot to unpack in this book, and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. My favorite character was Bird’s queer aunt, Vera, who introduces her niece to the possibility of giving love freely, even if living discreetly. The complexity of the women and their situations felt realistic, and I wanted things to work out. I would have liked to see occasional chapters from the perspectives of Bird’s mother and grandmother. Being so complicated and influential, hearing their narrative voices as they respond to mistakes and hard choices would have wrapped everything up for me. If an early 20th century look at race, gender, and sexuality interests you, I’d definitely give Belonging to the Air a go. It's vibrant with wokeness and full of love.

Thank you to NetGalley and University Press of Kentucky for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Heloísa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Belonging to the Air is an interesting character study, in which we follow Bird, from her childhood to her adult years.

This book has a bit of a problem with pacing: it’s not a problem that it’s slow, but the distribution of events feels very uneven. We spend a lot of time in Bird’s younger years, which makes sense: there’s a lot of setting up to do, regarding the town itself, the complicated family dynamics, the disregard the city feels towards Odelia, Maddy and Bird, Bird’s school situation and one friendship, etc. It’s both too much and not enough. At least for me, I hoped to see more of Bennetsville as a whole, especially of the tensions between the two branches of the main family. At the ending, there seemed to be a dislike that was way bigger than previously set up, but, at the same time, the conflict between Bird and her cousin was resolved so quickly it was quite odd.

I enjoyed the exploration of Bird’s lesbian identity, both in her small town and in the big city, and the tentative relationships that bloomed. It was an intriguing portrait, one of which I’d love to see more of. Her connections and new friendships also made the book more lively, which helped the pace feel slightly less stagnant. The side plot with Bird’s aunt also tugged at my heartstrings.

The portrayal of racism and the persecution of black people and black spaces was poignant and shocking. Irons has a way of impacting us even while not using horrific language: the mere dialogue of white folks in this book is enough to send shivers down your spine. The commonality of slavery and racism is shown in a way that makes your stomach turn.

I feel like this book was very educational, and I think it’d be a great reading for older middle schoolers to learn in class.

Overall, I appreciated the story itself, but I think a bit more of editing could’ve benefited the novel as a whole.

[Andrea (looseleftlesbian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful story of queerness, intergenerational trauma, love, womanhood and Resilience. I know I often say that words can’t describe or accurately portray what I’m feeling or how much I loved a book, but it’s true. Belonging in the Air is one of those books.

I learned so much by learning about Bird’s life. I’m ashamed to say there is a lot about black history that I do not know. I am grateful I was able to learn some things I didn’t in school in this book. As a midwest woman, I loved that bird grew up in the midwest.

The way the author tells Bird’s story is ethereal. All the characters serve their part and are important in their own way. There was so many aspects of this story that surprised me, that I wasn’t expecting. Especially when Bird’s grandma sent her to live with her Aunt. The things that Bird discovered while there was life changing.

The Prose is just as beautiful as the plot. There were so many quotes I wanted to highlight. It was poetic the way the author described things and told Bird’s story. What a powerful look at race, culture, sexuality and gender in the Early 20th century. I will definitely be purchasing the physical copy and reading this again and again.

[Annette Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Belonging to the Air by Avery Irons is a powerful work of Sapphic historical fiction, set between a freedman's town in Illinois and New York over a period from 1912 to 1935. It is the coming of age story of Honest "Bird" Bennet, a young girl who lives with her mother and grandmother, and whose father is rarely in the picture as he has another family and Bird is his illegitimate child. As she grows older she struggles with this and also with the feelings she has developed for her best friend and it soon becomes clear that if she is to be happy she will need to leave home and spread her wings. She moves to New York and works as a seamstress and dressmaker in Harlem where she finds more like minded people and a place in the Queer community, but the past will not let go so easily.
This was a beautifully written and very emotional tale, filled with characters that I fell in love with and found myself rooting for when things got tough, and in this book that happened quite often. The story of a Black Queer woman in America at that time was never going to anything other than difficult but there were also some truly beautiful moments of joy and love and hope.
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[Mrs Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here we have Honest "Bird" Bennett a young girl who lives in a town created by her family (freedman). It weaves together themes of race, privilege, loss, and oppression in a way that felt personal and grounded. Watching the main character grow shaped by her upbringing and environment but still holding onto who she was at her core was one of my favorite parts. The pacing was slow for me, the beginning especially, and there were moments that dragged. But it picked up about 60% and I was able to finish. While the book doesn’t shy away from oppression in that time period, it also made space for Black and Queer sexuality. Those moments felt powerful and reminded me that even in difficult circumstances, there’s still room to create your own happiness and sense of self. Overall, it left me feeling hopeful, and I think it will resonate with a lot of readers interested in these topics. Thank you to NetGalley and the University of press Kentucky for the Advanced Reader Copy all opinions are my own and given voluntary.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the arc so much I bought a physical copy. New sapphic historical fiction /coming of age release of 2026 by a debut author of color. We follow Honest “Bird” Bennett from 1912-1935 as she navigates life in the countryside of Illinois and discovering her place in the world. A slow paced breath of fresh air - we are presented this tale in 3rd person POV as Bird pieces together that she is not like the majority of the townsfolk’s children. Her father abandoned her mother for another family and she isn’t as boy crazy as her cousins are. Being a lesbian in that era was already challenging enough but being a Black woman on top of it forces Bird to navigate a world that was designed with her people nowhere in their minds. The racism, sexism and bias that Bird faces is heartbreaking but her strength is awe inspiring.

[Joc · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the small town of Bennettsville, Illinois, a freedmen's town established by Bird's great-grandfather, 'Bird' Bennet lives with her mother, Maddy, and grandmother, Odelia. Maddy is a seamstress who keeps Bird at home for schooling by her grandmother for fear of her being ostracised by the community. One of Maddy's customers convinces Maddy to let her daughter join the local school. Bird thrives and makes a friend who grows with her into their young adulthood. The early 1900s were not a place for young black queer women and Bird loses her first love to societal norms.

What follows is Bird navigating her life while still be true to herself. It is a gentle read, in spite of the times, and really interesting to follow Bird through her life choices. I really enjoyed reading this.

[En · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has woman of color, queer rep and the consistent struggle for one's rights, but Belonging to the Air is more than these troupes, it's about discovering the world and its pre-imposed shackles, then deciding to break them all anyway.

Something in the description caught my eye, and I was glad to have been given the opportunity with a copy. This had been a surprisingly uplifting read.

If you're looking for a historical fiction with a satisfying struggle of finding a place of one's own, this should be on your TBR!

[Shannan Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

TBH, I struggled with this one, but because of the time frame of the book expiring, i had no choice but to finish it. I got through it, but There was a lot i didn't understand about the story line. some parts were enjoyable, but a lot of it just didn't resonate with me. I might try again one day, once i get caught up

[Ayannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an illuminating story about queerness and Black identity during the Great Migration. I loved how Bird and her mama stayed true to themselves fully aware of the cost of living in their own truth, steadfast and unflinching in a world that kept telling them otherwise.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story about a young girl born to a family whose ancestors built the town of Bennettsville IL town of Freedmen. The grandmother is the leader of the town. Most of the people are relatives of the family.She’s treated like royalty by some and an outsider by others. I don’t want to give the story away.