The House of Eve
by Sadeqa Johnson · 2023
Buy on AmazonIn Philadelphia, 1948, 15-year-old Ruby is consumed with studying hard in hopes of winning a prestigious scholarship and becoming the first person in her family to attend college. When she meets Shimmy, a Jewish boy who is the son of her aunt's landlord, they begin a forbidden interracial relationship that threatens her dream. Meanwhile Eleanor is a university sophomore in Washington, D.C. when she meets William Pride, a respectable graduate student who comes from a world of wealth. As their relationship grows, their differences in class become more prominent, especially as William's mother voices her strong opposition to their liaison and attempts to control their relationship for the sake of propriety.…
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"This historical fiction novel, centered on two Black women navigating 1950s Philadelphia and their intertwined destinies, fits Reese Witherspoon's interest in powerful, women-led narratives."
Reese's Book Club 2023 Picks · reesesbookclub.com
"New York Times bestselling author Sadeqa Johnson’s The House of Eve is a beautifully written and wonderfully crafted tale of two young Black women, their families and their love stories. However, that’s only the beginning of this immersive, captivating story. Johnson’s two main characters are strikingly different but stunningly similar. Readers will never forget Ruby or Eleanor, or the choices they make and the sacrifices they endure in this timely, relatable tale of women, children, skin color, haves and have-nots with an ending that will stay with you for a long, long time. A Reese’s Book Club pick, The House of Eve is an instant classic."
NPR Books We Love — 2023 · apps.npr.org