In a breathtaking saga spanning the final three decades of the Great Migration - from the Jim Crow south in rural midcentury Mississippi through the transformative 1970s - a tenacious single mother and culinary genius builds an unprecedented empire. But the one dream she can’t stop chasing may cost her everything…
Readers of Terry McMillan, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Tracy Brown, ReShonda Tate, and Sadeqa Johnson will be captivated by this powerful story of mothers and daughters, against-all-odds success, generational trauma, and redefining home.
Money is security. Always. Margo Dupree has lived by that rule since childhood, when her father’s death plunged her and her mother into poverty. Marriage brought only disillusionment and struggle. But it also gave Margo the determination to migrate north in search of a better life for herself and her young daughter, Lana.
The north, however, isn’t the panacea she expected, and Margo finds herself contending with the all-too-familiar obstacles of racism and prejudice, not to mention the new stresses of urban living. But things change once she realizes that what was once her greatest shame is now her greatest asset—the skills she learned from her mother’s job as a cook. Using her tasty recipes, personality, and relentless hustle, Margo begins to build a successful restaurant chain. Yet despite her ever-more desperate efforts, she can't earn her heart’s deepest desire: Lana’s forgiveness for her early absence.
As Lana becomes a beautiful young woman with an increasingly mercenary temperament, Margo wonders if she knows her daughter at all—and if she can save her from the bitter and frighteningly dangerous mistakes that may shatter both of their worlds . . .
Praise for Phyllis R. Dixon: “A fun, sexy read.” – Ebony on Intermission “Dixon gives her characters distinctive voices, exploring their inner lives and motivations, and her conversational style gives readers a front-row seat to the Diamonds’ sparkling reunion. Fans of Kimberla Lawson Roby and ReShonda Tate Billingsley will be enthralled.” – Booklist on Intermission
“If you were a fan of girl music groups from the 1990s, you’ll love this story about the fictional girl group the Diamonds.” – AARP’s Sisters Newsletter on Intermission
“A glamorous, nostalgic ’90s story begins in this fun novel following four women.” – Woman’s World, Book Club Pick, on Intermission
“There's a whole lotta of shakin' going on in this book! Ms. Dixon produced a rich drama with all the ingredients to hold our attention.” —Dwight Fryer, Author and NAACP Image Award Nominee on Down Home Blues
“A riveting Southern family drama. Down Home Blues delves into many serious issues that affect our families and our community.” —Evelyn Palfrey, Essence Magazine bestselling author on Down Home Blues
“Down Home Blues does a fantastic job of exploring how individuals and families interrelate and how their choices influence wider events in the greater world, making it a recommendation for novel readers who want their action driven by strong characters and their views of life's winding directions tempered by a better understanding of psychological motivation.” —Midwest Book Review on Down Home Blues
“Educational, thought provoking and captivating. Forty Acres will inspire you.” —RAWSISTAZ Reviews on Forty Acres
Phyllis R. Dixon is the acclaimed author of Intermission, Forty Acres, and Down Home Blues, which was shortlisted for the Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List by the Texas Library Association. She also is a contributor to the New Tri-State Defender book review column and to Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she is a former independent bookstore owner, previously worked for the U.S. Treasury Department, and currently serves on several nonprofit boards. She currently lives in Memphis, Tennessee, and can be found online at PhyllisRDixon.com.
In a breathtaking saga spanning the final three decades of the Great Migration - from the Jim Crow south in rural midcentury Mississippi through the transformative 1970s - a tenacious single mother and culinary genius builds an unprecedented empire. But the one dream she can’t stop chasing may cost her everything…
Readers of Terry McMillan, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Tracy Brown, ReShonda Tate, and Sadeqa Johnson will be captivated by this powerful story of mothers and daughters, against-all-odds success, generational trauma, and redefining home.
Money is security. Always. Margo Dupree has lived by that rule since childhood, when her father’s death plunged her and her mother into poverty. Marriage brought only disillusionment and struggle. But it also gave Margo the determination to migrate north in search of a better life for herself and her young daughter, Lana.
The north, however, isn’t the panacea she expected, and Margo finds herself contending with the all-too-familiar obstacles of racism and prejudice, not to mention the new stresses of urban living. But things change once she realizes that what was once her greatest shame is now her greatest asset—the skills she learned from her mother’s job as a cook. Using her tasty recipes, personality, and relentless hustle, Margo begins to build a successful restaurant chain. Yet despite her ever-more desperate efforts, she can't earn her heart’s deepest desire: Lana’s forgiveness for her early absence.
As Lana becomes a beautiful young woman with an increasingly mercenary temperament, Margo wonders if she knows her daughter at all—and if she can save her from the bitter and frighteningly dangerous mistakes that may shatter both of their worlds . . .
Reviews
Praise for Phyllis R. Dixon: “A fun, sexy read.” – Ebony on Intermission “Dixon gives her characters distinctive voices, exploring their inner lives and motivations, and her conversational style gives readers a front-row seat to the Diamonds’ sparkling reunion. Fans of Kimberla Lawson Roby and ReShonda Tate Billingsley will be enthralled.” – Booklist on Intermission
“If you were a fan of girl music groups from the 1990s, you’ll love this story about the fictional girl group the Diamonds.” – AARP’s Sisters Newsletter on Intermission
“A glamorous, nostalgic ’90s story begins in this fun novel following four women.” – Woman’s World, Book Club Pick, on Intermission
“There's a whole lotta of shakin' going on in this book! Ms. Dixon produced a rich drama with all the ingredients to hold our attention.” —Dwight Fryer, Author and NAACP Image Award Nominee on Down Home Blues
“A riveting Southern family drama. Down Home Blues delves into many serious issues that affect our families and our community.” —Evelyn Palfrey, Essence Magazine bestselling author on Down Home Blues
“Down Home Blues does a fantastic job of exploring how individuals and families interrelate and how their choices influence wider events in the greater world, making it a recommendation for novel readers who want their action driven by strong characters and their views of life's winding directions tempered by a better understanding of psychological motivation.” —Midwest Book Review on Down Home Blues
“Educational, thought provoking and captivating. Forty Acres will inspire you.” —RAWSISTAZ Reviews on Forty Acres
Author
Phyllis R. Dixon is the acclaimed author of Intermission, Forty Acres, and Down Home Blues, which was shortlisted for the Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List by the Texas Library Association. She also is a contributor to the New Tri-State Defender book review column and to Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she is a former independent bookstore owner, previously worked for the U.S. Treasury Department, and currently serves on several nonprofit boards. She currently lives in Memphis, Tennessee, and can be found online at PhyllisRDixon.com.
