So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (Remixed Classics, 2)
So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (Remixed Classics, 2) book cover

So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (Remixed Classics, 2)

Hardcover – September 7, 2021

by
Price
$10.59
Format
Hardcover
Pages
304
Publisher
Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1250761217
Dimensions
5.38 x 0.81 x 8.25 inches
Weight
10.6 ounces

Description

Praise for So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix A Junior Library Guild SelectionA 2022 ALA Rise Top Ten Selection "Morrow’s ability to take the lingering stain of slavery on American history and use it as a catalyst for unbreakable love and resilience is flawless . That she has remixed a canonical text to do so only further illuminates the need to critically question who holds the pen in telling our nation’s story ." ― Booklist , starred review "Morrow's nuanced take on what life was like for newly freed Black people at this time will prompt readers to reconsider the simplistic good vs. evil, North vs. South mythologies that characterize too many Civil War narratives. ... Alcott fans and newcomers alike will find much to appreciate in Morrow's sophisticated remix." ― BookPage , starred review " Impressive ... Via delicately written characterizations, each March woman exemplifies the notion that the wounds of bondage don’t disappear simply because freedom is at hand, and the racist catalyst of enslavement doesn’t disappear with the stroke of a pen, as a beloved story gains new meaning through the lens of enduring Black resilience, love, and hope." ― Publishers Weekly , starred review " Skillful ... Readers learn about the tenuous nature of Reconstruction, clashes between the newly emancipated and those born free, and the repatriation efforts of the American Colonization Society." ― School Library Journal " Bethany C. Morrow's prose is a sharpened blade in a practiced hand, cutting to the core of our nation's history. So Many Beginnings ' reckonings with race reverberate across time to challenge not just the stories we've been told, but the voices who have told them. A devastatingly precise reimagining and a joyful celebration of sisterhood. A narrative about four young women who unreservedly deserve the world, and a balm for wounds to Black lives and liberty ." ―Tracy Deonn, New York Times- bestselling author of Legendborn "A tender and beautiful retelling that will make you fall in love with the foursome all over again ." ―Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times -bestselling author of White Smoke and Grown "Bethany C. Morrow is reinvigorating the canon one book at a time―her work is a gift to us all . If there's one writer I trust to take on the iconic March sisters and make Black girls the center of their timeless story, it's her. This remix is a hit ." ―Leah Johnson, bestselling author of You Should See Me in a Crown "Morrow is one of the most exciting voices in young adult literature today ! So Many Beginnings is the most brilliant retelling of Little Women that I’ve ever encountered. Morrow transports her readers back in time so that we feel as if we are truly there . The pacing is perfect , the characterization is spot on, and the story leaps off the page . This is the kind of humanizing tale that I longed for as a child and tween immersed in the long-ago worlds of Louisa May Alcott and Lucy Maud Montgomery." ―Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, World Fantasy Award-winning author of The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to The Hunger Games " So Many Beginnings may call itself a Little Women remix, but it’s a Little Women revelation―an instant classic all its own. With tenderness, strength, and laugh-out-loud wit, Morrow’s March sisters give unique voice to many often neglected historical moments and nuanced perspectives during the Civil War through a familiar lens: the incomparable bond of family and sisterhood. Fans of Little Women will appreciate the striking, creative new depths Morrow explored for these beloved characters, but any reader, regardless of how well they know the March sisters, will be deeply moved by this book. " ―Emma Lord, New York Times –bestselling author of You Have a Match and Tweet Cute "An instant classic with the boundless warmth, wisdom and heart of the story it revisits and reframes. Morrow makes it impossible not to fall in love with the March family all over again." ―Laura E. Weymouth, author of The Light Between Worlds "Beautifully written and utterly vital." ― Nerdist "Readers who want to see much more Black joy in historical fiction will be richly rewarded. ... Brilliantly combines the escapism and relatability of a YA coming-of-age novel with the necessary work of reclaiming narratives and perspectives previously erased from the American literary canon." ― Den of Geek Praise for A Song Below Water: "Morrow expertly and smartly explores race, bigotry, oppression, and injustice against a backdrop of ordinary life with a dose of the supernatural added to the mix. ... A Song Below Water is a must-read for lovers of fantasy and contemporary stories alike. " ― Booklist , starred review "Morrow has deftly woven a contemporary tale with mythical elements to take on the invisibility and marginalization of Black women, touching on issues such as misogynoir, body image, social justice, and generational trauma. ... Empowering and innovative . ... Morrow elevates mermaids and sirens to xadlegitimate and compelling vanguards for social change." ― School Library Journal "How the many different plot points come together, along with a startling family mystery, a terrifying nightmare from the past, and bullying that goes way too far, is what makes A Song Below Water a book of the highest literary quality that stands far above others in the field . ... In as much as A Song Below Water is thrilling and intense and utilizes truly gorgeous language, I found it to also be a tender and somewhat wistful novel." ― Locus "From sirens to mermaids to sprites and gargoyles, the magic is familiar―but different enough to be exciting. Morrow ... tackles anti-Blackness and white supremacy head-on, while still giving Tavia and Effie the space to be realistic, flawed teenagers. ... In this magic-infused version of America, having a voice is literally a superpower― a powerful message for the times we're living in ." ― NPR "A watery and melodic crossroads of the real and the mythic, A Song Below Water lures readers with its seductive and beautifully Black siren song. An enthralling tale of Black girl magic and searing social commentary ready to rattle the bones .” ―Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times- bestselling author of The Belles series Bethany C. Morrow is a national bestselling author. Her young adult novels include A Song Below Water , A Chorus Rises , and the Little Women remix, So Many Beginnings , and she is editor/contributor to the young adult anthology Take The Mic , which won the 2020 ILA Social Justice in Literature award. Her adult novels include Mem, and the social horror, Cherish Farrah . Her work has been featured in The LA Times, Forbes, Bustle, Buzzfeed, and more. She is included on USA TODAY's list of 100 Black novelists and fiction writers you should read.

Features & Highlights

  • In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. This powerful
  • Little Women
  • remix follows four young Black sisters coming of age during the American Civil War, reframing a much-beloved tale outside of its original, exclusively lily-white perspective.North Carolina, 1863
  • . As the American Civil War rages on, the Freedpeople's Colony of Roanoke Island is blossoming, a haven for the recently emancipated. Black people have begun building a community of their own, a refuge from the shadow of the "old life." It is where the March family has finally been able to safely put down roots with four young daughters:Meg, a teacher who longs to find love and start a family of her own.Jo, a writer whose words are too powerful to be contained.Beth, a talented seamstress searching for a higher purpose.Amy, a dancer eager to explore life outside her family's home.As the four March sisters come into their own as independent young women, they will face first love, health struggles, heartbreak, and new horizons. But they will face it all together.
  • Praise for
  • So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix
  • "Morrow’s ability to take the lingering stain of slavery on American history and use it as a catalyst for unbreakable love and resilience is
  • flawless
  • . That she has remixed a canonical text to do so only
  • further illuminates the need to critically question who holds the pen in telling our nation’s story
  • ." ―
  • Booklist
  • ,
  • starred review
  • "
  • Bethany C. Morrow's prose is a sharpened blade in a practiced hand, cutting to the core of our nation's history.
  • ...
  • A devastatingly precise reimagining and a joyful celebration of sisterhood.
  • A narrative about four young women who unreservedly deserve the world, and
  • a balm for wounds to Black lives and liberty
  • ." ―Tracy Deonn,
  • New York Times-
  • bestselling author of
  • Legendborn
  • "A
  • tender and beautiful
  • retelling that
  • will make you fall in love with the foursome all over again
  • ." ―Tiffany D. Jackson,
  • New York Times
  • -bestselling author of
  • White Smoke
  • and
  • Grown
  • The Remixed Classics Series
  • A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix
  • by C.B. Lee
  • So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix
  • by Bethany C. Morrow
  • Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix
  • by Aminah Mae Safi
  • What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix
  • by Tasha Suri
  • Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix
  • by Anna-Marie McLemore
  • My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix
  • by Kalynn Bayron
  • Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo & Juliet Remix
  • by Caleb Roehrig
  • Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix
  • by Cherie Dimaline
  • Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix
  • by Gabe Cole Novoa

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(68)
★★★★
25%
(57)
★★★
15%
(34)
★★
7%
(16)
★
23%
(52)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Great for seeing how The March sisters would have thrived if they were black.

So you think your college history class taught you everything you need to know about the Civil War era? Comprehensive as that class might have been, here is a book that will open your eyes about the Black side of the story that never got taught.
5 people found this helpful
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A Good Remix

So Many Beginnings is a poignant story of a family of newly freed persons beginning life anew and the challenges they faced. It was sad that only those in a similar situation could understand their difficulties. It was worse that no one else really even seemed to try. I found parts very moving, especially when it was suggested that Jo write her own story. Also, I was quite pleased about the fate of the painting from the big house.

Before this book, I was unaware of the Roanoke colony. I would have liked to have read/learned more about it here.

This story worked well as a Little Women re-mix. It retained key elements (The family could have been considered forward thinking; the man of the house had been taken away by the war; the dynamic between the four sisters was there, and they had similar personalities to the original characters), but it gave this March family a history and a story of its own. I even found that I liked Amy better in this version. She was still spoiled, but she was not unkind.

I didn't feel the overall narrative flowed smoothly. Story threads seemed to be dropped and forgotten only to turn up again much later, and sometimes it was hard to keep track of how much time had passed. And then the end felt rushed. I was completely surprised to learn in the last chapter where Amy and Jo were going to be heading. As far as I know, that was the only mention in the whole book of the subject. I felt like I'd skipped a chapter.

Also, I found myself distracted by the frequent use of the phrase "despite that". It sounded awkward and incorrect but was used heavily throughout. "Despite that it made her look older", "despite that she was right in front of him," "despite that Amy had never seen one", etc. I found myself pausing to think what wording would sound smoother or to insert a synonym like "even though". That may be too much time spent in English class, though.

Overall, it was an interesting book. Thank you to Bookishfirst for the early read.
4 people found this helpful
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No compelling reasons to turn the pages

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I requested this book from Bookishfirst.com. Like most everyone else in the world, I adored Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” and was excited to see what author Morrow would do with it. Well, the cover gives part of it away, but, still, I was curious as so what Morrow would do with the story.

The timeframe was consistent, the American Civil War (1863-1866). But instead of a poor Northern family with their father serving as a chaplain in the Union Army, the March family is living in North Carolina in the Freedpeople’s Colony of Roanoke Island. As a history nerd, I was confused. Every time I read Roanoke, I immediately thought of the attempt by the English to establish a colony on the island in 1587. I had no idea that after the English settlers disappeared, the island became a haven for freedpeople of color. Some background would have been nice, but the story structure really didn't lend itself to a backstory of this nature.

Another thing that confused, and somewhat irritated me, was the title the sisters used to refer to their mother. In the Alcott version, it was Marmee, but in this version, it was Mammy. The first time I read it I was offended, but then quickly realized the timeframe of the story. However, the etymology of “Mammy” is “black woman having the care of white children.” That didn’t fit the story to me at all, but in hindsight, maybe that was what Mammy did before they escaped to the Freedpeople’s Colony, but it’s unclear to me.

The girls seemed both different and alike to Alcott’s version. However, there was something about them that didn’t allow me to care much about them. There was a lack of tension throughout the book, no compelling reason to turn the page---and that is what prompts me to say that “So Many Beginnings: ‘A Little Women Remix’” receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
2 people found this helpful
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Wut??

What exactly is the point of ripping off a classic (names and all!) but changing the race? I don't understand that at all. I get fan fiction, but but most people just do their own lame job of it with the characters as is. I've never heard of anyone ripping off the whole story but changing the race of the characters. It would be laughable if it weren't so cringey and pathetic.
2 people found this helpful
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A powerful story of emancipation and transition

So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow is a remix of Little Women with a Black March family, who has settled in the Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island after their recent emancipation from slavery. This book can be read and enjoyed on its own without previously having read Little Women.
The time and place of So Many Beginnings make this story very interesting. We see the perspective of a Black family as they transition from slavery to freedom, but still face prejudice and racism which affect their healthcare, living circumstances, education, wages and social status.
The March girls have distinct personalities, strengths, interests and goals, yet are united by a strong bond of love and sisterhood. I appreciated how Morrow hinted that one of the sisters was asexual and portrayed another's chronic illness, which presumably Sickle Cell Anemia. I enjoyed these engaging, strong characters as they navigated momentous changes in society, personal relationships, and the transition to adulthood to find their place in the world.
So Many Beginnings is well-written and meticulously researched and thus brings to light a setting and perspective in history about which we have not been taught. I appreciated the author's note in which she sounds the alarm about how racism and white supremacy have caused the teaching of propaganda rather than history, and how these biases influence the treatment of Black people today.
2 people found this helpful
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A Beautiful Remix to my favorite classic

I don’t know who posted about this but, Thank you! I live to write and Little Women is my favorite book of all time. I own every copy of the movie and all versions of the book ever written. Y’all, sis did NOT disappoint. I love it. The ways she tells an entirely new story and still keeps this classic intact is beautiful. I wish I had thought of it. Lol. Beautifully done. Absolute Black Girl Magic.
1 people found this helpful
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Not Little Women

I disagree with most of the reviews. Little Women is a classic book. The author could have written this book as her own, there is nothing compared to the original book. This would be confusing to the young adults in reading this book, and not the original. Little Women was written in different time/age, but still can stand the test of time. I don't understand why writers want to change things, like the race of the main characters. You can write a book about your race, but make it you own!
1 people found this helpful
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Thought provoking

As a white woman who holds the source material dear — I’ve read the book a few times and I’ve seen no less than five film adaptations — I entered So Many Beginnings with trepidation. Would Bethany C. Morrow mangle Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women?

There was no need to worry.

So Many Beginnings is probably the most thought-provoking reimagining I’ve ever read.

The book stands as almost a direct comparison between two worlds — black and white. Instead of writing fiction, Jo writes about freed people. Rather than tutor snobby children, Meg teaches former slaves to read. Beth is a talented seamstress, not as a pianist. And Amy gets the chance at a childhood none of the other sisters had.

Morrow’s writing is thoughtful and heartfelt. Her pacing is smooth and her scene setting perfection. Still, it’s not a fast read, especially if you’ve read Little Women. Moments of contemplation are common while reading, and I found myself taking little breaks here and there to help things settle.

When my daughter is old enough to read both Little Women and So Many Beginnings I plan to suggest reading them in succession. They truly feel like companion novels.
1 people found this helpful
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Gift

Purchased for my wife and she is enjoying it.
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Different slant on Little Women

Thought it followed the original theme in many areas, but with an interesting view of the African American side.

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