River, Cross My Heart book cover

River, Cross My Heart

Breena Clarke · 1999

Breena Clarke's novel follows a Black family in 1920s Washington, D.C., after the drowning of a young daughter.

Breena Clarke’s novel is set in the Georgetown neighborhood of 1920s Washington, D.C., in a close Black community shadowed by segregation. When five-year-old Clara Bynum drowns in the Potomac, her family and neighbors are left to absorb the loss, especially her older sister Johnnie Mae. Clarke draws a vivid portrait of a place and a people, and of grief moving through a tight-knit world.

View on Amazon

Genre:

Recommended by 1 Person

Oprah Winfrey

Media Executive & Talk Show Host, Harpo Productions

Book Club

As an Amazon Associate, bookstoread.org earns from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Spotted an error on this page? Tell us and we will fix it.