Book Review: The Secret of Gumbo Grove

Book: The Secret of Gumbo Grove by Eleanora E. Tate

Cover Art by Nigel Chamberlain

Edition: Paperback

Description:

Raisin Stackhouse doesn't mind doing odd jobs for old Miss Effie Pfluggins, but when Miss Effie talks her into cleaning up the old church cemetery, she has no idea what trouble she might dig up. Mama says Miss Effie talks much too much, but Raisin loves hearing her remember the old days—especially when one of her stories puts Raisin smack in the middle of a real-life mystery.

When Raisin is grounded for sneaking a night out, she not only misses her chance to compete in the Miss Ebony Pageant, but her efforts to uncover the famous person buried in the cemetery are brought to a halt, too. Somehow Raisin's got to solve the big mystery no one in town wants to talk about. Will her discovery bring her glory, or is the past better off left buried?




Rating: 4 stars

Review:

The Secret of Gumbo Grove is an interesting story set (and published) in the 1980s and it follows 12 years old history buff Raisin Stackhouse. While Raisin was at the old New Africa Number One Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery helping Mrs. Effie Pfluggins, the church secretary, cut down overgrown weeds, she was being told information about some of the people who were buried there.

Raisin's interest was piqued the more she heard but even more so when she found out that a young enslaved girl named Gussie Ann Vereen was buried there. Miss Effie (as Raisin called her) went over Gussie's life, how she ended up buried at the cemetery and revealed that she is an ancestor of Mrs. Aussie Skipper, an influential woman in town.

Despite Miss Effie's best efforts she can't get the townspeople interested in caring about the old cemetery. And that's mainly because people want to forget the past especially if it invokes memories or feelings of things that may be difficult to deal with such as slavery and segregation. It doesn't help that Mrs. Skipper is trying to get the church to sell the land. Raisin was surprised by all this information because as someone who loves history she can't understand why anyone would want to destroy the town's history.

Miss Effie wants to preserve the history of the cemetery and Raisin will be helping her by writing down the stories. Unfortunately, some people in town such as Mrs. Skipper don't think the history should be revealed. Raisin's parents aren't necessarily against the cemetery like Mrs. Skipper but they do believe that digging up old history might make some people uncomfortable or upset.

Raisin was conflicted after research uncovered a very prominent person buried in the cemetery. She's not sure what to do because the information could save the cemetery but it could also shine a light on a secret that in the past would have stirred up racial trouble. However, Raisin and Miss Effie believe this news is just what the town needs in order to remember the past and embrace it.

This story was an emotional journey for Raisin but also fun because she got to learn more about her town's history. When Raisin wasn't uncovering history she was also being a typical preteen hanging with her friends and occasionally getting into trouble. She was also helping Hattie, one of her younger sisters, prepare for the Miss Ebony Calvary County Pageant. Raisin wasn't too thrilled to help at first but with her other younger sister Maizell helping, it became a fun yet at times frustrating team effort to help Hattie.

The Secret of Gumbo Grove has a lot of vulnerability, insight and humor as the story is told by Raisin in first person narrative. This was an interesting read, I bought this from the thrift store a few years ago. I love going to the thrift store, I never know what old book I will find. This was a good read.