Tangleroot is the name of a plantation in rural Virginia and it's where our main character, Noni, is forced to spend her summer after graduating high school. Her mother, Radiance Castine, is a well known scholar of Black literature. She takes a job at a college in VA which prompts the move for her and Noni.

Noni hates it there. She's a genius at the sewing machine and she was planning on spending her summer in Boston, working on costumes for the theater. Instead, she's working at the local food joint and taking classes at the community college.

Things become more complicated when Noni accepts an offer to make a gown for a socialite, Lana Jean. Radiance and Lana Jean hate each other but Noni doesn't know why. Through out this book Noni researches her family's history and the history of Magnolia VA, which ultimately leads her to the answers she needed.


This narrator brought the story to life with her accents and inflections. Every character felt complete.
In light of recent world events, reading (listening) to this book felt surreal. I was reminded that racism is alive and racist people have always and will continue to hold powerful positions in society. I want to thank Kalela Williams for giving us Noni's story.