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*Golden Poppies was my Kindle First Read selection for the month of May, 2020*

This was a lovely book that depicted a chapter of American History of which I'm not very familiar: the mid-1890s. More specifically, the main historical topic featured was segregation and the continued plight of African-Americans in the decades following their emancipation. A couple other historical events featured include a bit about women's suffrage efforts and the nationwide Pullman railroad strike of 1894; however, I'd say those were just little side stories compared to the focus on racial inequality within the society of that time, and how in some special cases, love and devotion were still able to transcend race, despite the hate and bigotry. I'll explain further in a brief synopsis, in case that last sentence doesn't quite make sense...

The book begins with Mattie, an elderly black woman on her death bed, talking about how badly she wishes she could see her dear Lisbeth again... Her daughter Jordan knows that Lisbeth is the white girl (now a middle aged woman) whose father owned their family when they were enslaved before the war. Mattie's family reaches out to Lisbeth, asking her to please come and see their beloved matriarch one last time and Lisbeth and her daughter Sadie come to Chicago to do just that. Although Sadie and Jordan both grew up knowing about their mothers' friendship and unconditional love for one another (and are thereby unsurprised by their closeness) they have very different views of the world in general, especially when it comes to the existence of racial prejudice and hate crimes. After Mattie's death, Jordan and her family decide to leave segregated Chicago and move to Oakland, California near Sadie and Lisbeth. Although Jordan is pleasantly surprised by the progressiveness of their new (integrated) hometown, both families quickly learn that there is still a lot of progress to be made in the fight for race and gender equality--a fight they can all make together.

This was a very moving story with strong, admirable female characters that I enjoyed immensely. I didnt know until after I read the book that this was a sort of continuation of these characters' stories from the author's previous books, Yellow Crocus and Mustard Seed, which I intend to read too (of course).