This was my first novel in verse and it was definitely an interesting experience. I found it difficult to get through at first, because it seemed to take me so much longer to read than a prose equivalent. After a few chapters I got into the habit of reading it in my head as I would read it aloud, and it unsurprisingly made more sense like that—I expect it would a great experience as an audio book. But by the halfway mark I was back to being a bit frustrated with the process of reading it.

As for the story itself: this had a wonderful, meandering quality that is a particular hallmark of Southern Black American storytelling. It felt like half the book was made of tangents and recountings of the past. This meant it was quite slow-paced, dragging in placed, but nonetheless added a richness to what is a very culturally specific story.

It was an interesting perspective on the US Civil Rights Movements, showing the difficulties after school integration and fear that tempered the fight for equality. I appreciated the inclusion of a character who would rather Black people weren’t pushing for more rights, because of the danger it placed them all in. It also added an additional dimension to Mandy’s teenage struggles for independence, that she wants to fight for more but her mother doesn’t want her in danger.

Things change for Mandy on her mother’s birthday, when she wakes up with a pounding headache and an angel at the foot of her bed. It’s July 4th, 1963, and we join Mandy at a point in her life where she’s starting to question the way the world is around her.

I liked the voice and character of Mandy, and she had an interesting arc, but it felt like we too often jumped out of her head, or experienced a time jump after a significant event, rather than seeing Mandy fully react to the tragic events happening in the States in the ‘60s, and events in her own life. Alexander writes in a lyrical way, and there were some really poignant moments conveyed beautifully, but it felt like the novel gave no time to breathe before we were rushing into the next ‘event’.

For me, it would have been more interesting to see the immediate aftermath of these national issues within Mandy’s community. She’s surrounded by a lot of people, but it feels like we barely ever get to know them, flickering in and out and briefly mentioned before maybe taking on a more pivotal role later.

Mandy’s mother Belle just wants to keep her children safe, but she sees them doing things that are downright reckless (a likely near-universal experience for parents, but in varying ways) – her son dates a white woman, and for Belle, it’s always white women who bring the worst to her family. He also gets involved with Civil Rights, but Belle puts her faith in God and doesn’t see why people are so ‘up in arms’, not appreciating what they already have. Belle is a woman who has suffered blow after blow against her and her family, and we come to fully understand her actions, even when her children can’t.

Something I did find frustrating was that there was a lot of repetition – it felt like we were being told the same thing about Mandy and her feelings towards situations, people, etc. There are teases towards big moments, but while whatever it’s leading up to might have a big impact, the story leaps ahead.

The characters here are engaging, with really strong, vivid voices, but I struggled with the structure and jumpiness of it. I wouldn’t not recommend this one, but just say it wasn’t for me, despite being penned by a clearly talented writer.

After taking a civil rights course in college, displaying the behind the scenes hard work that goes behind an activist movement, I became very interested in learning the stories of those who weren't recognized in these movements as well as how it may have felt for a young person to grow in such hostile, ever changing, moving environment. Keep A'Livin' by Kathya Alexander is a fabulous novel depicting the voice of a little girl growing up during such a time. I wish I had read this in pair with my political science course a couple years ago.

Not all stories are meant to be written in verse, and the ones that are a good fit for verse do not always turn out well.
Keep A’Livin’ is a little novel written in the most well-constructed verse that manages to capture the spirit of activism and themes around discrimination. It is hard to believe this is a debut novel.
Mandy is a young woman who needs to find her place in life - the themes of generational differences, racism, danger and activism and the 60s as the back drop of a young woman’s story are the pros.
I feel a bit mixed about the length - in a way, it felt ideal, well-structured, well-paced and the plot was satisfactory, in another way, due to my enjoyment of the narrative style and themes and these working so effectively together, I wished for more layers hence length.
4.5 stars.

This beautifully told novel explores the history and realities of life for an African American family in 1963, as a young girl ponders heavy questions, living in the American South.

Mandy struggles to understand why her mother Belle's white employer will not give her a day off on her birthday, which leads her to begin a journey of questioning the racial mores of America at a time of tremendous and painful social change.

The novel is written in verse, which is not my favourite method of storytelling, but the story itself is compelling. Through the experiences of Mandy, Belle and their foremothers, America's troubled history and the realities of the legacy of slavery are brought vividly to life. Worth reading.

The writing in this novel was amazing. It captured the voice of the southern black girl growing up during the civil rights movement. I was unprepared for how much I enjoyed this read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

This is exquisitely written. You almost have to stop at each paragraph to admire how it is constructed and how well the author uses words of description and dialog. It's simply breathtaking. The story is also vital, and the reader will be easily entranced. It speaks to both history and present life. I could write a description of the story and the characters, but I will leave that to others. I want to say, GET THIS BOOK!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I look forward to seeing its impact on the literary world!

This was so captivating. It was initially a little hard to get into because of the protagonist’s way of narrating was a bit hard for me.

This is exquisitely written. You almost have to stop at each paragraph to admire how it is constructed and how well the author uses words of description and dialog. It's simply breathtaking. The story itself is also incredibly vital and the reader will be easily entranced. It speaks to both history and present life. I could write a description of the story and the characters but I will leave that to others. I just want to say GET THIS BOOK!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I look forward to seeing the impact it has on the literary world!

In the small town of Uz, Arkansas, Mandy Anderson wakes up on July 4th, 1963, her mother’s birthday, to the sweltering Southern heat, a pounding headache, and the distinct thumping of her mother, Belle, kneading biscuit dough. In the raw heat, only made worse by Belle’s baking, Mandy questions why the white woman her mother works for wouldn’t want to give Belle the day off for her birthday. So begins Mandy’s journey of questioning the structures that define her world, a path that carries her through tragedy, mystical encounters, and her own spiritual and familial legacy. Keep A'Livin' is a testament to all the people and organizations that worked on the local grassroots level to create the most successful social justice movement in US history. Told from the perspective of the two protagonists, this mother and daughter are living thru this tumultuous time while the daughter is testing the boundaries of the extraordinary changes happening all around her. Grappling with grief, ancestral trauma, and a family, community, and society in flux, Mandy dares to dream of a future outside the limitations of racism and patriarchy. This beautifully lyrical novel explores the reality of activism as more than just a handful of speeches given at protests, the costs to those who dedicate themselves to activist work, and the passion that drives us ever onward to a better, more just future.