The Secret of Magic

Set in 1946, this beautifully written novel brings to vivid life the days of rigid racial segregation in the deep South. When Regina Mary Robichard leaves New York en route to Revere, Mississippi, determined to bring to trial the murderer of a black soldier coming home from service in Italy during World War II, she’s eager to get justice for the cruel crime against a young war hero guilty only of being black and feels ready for the prejudice she knows she’ll encounter. A black woman with a law degree from Columbia University, just having passed the New York bar exam, she works as a law clerk for Thurgood Marshall, then head of the NAACP Legal Defense Office. Her background has prepared her for the task she’s undertaking. Her father was killed before her birth, lynched in Omaha, Nebraska, after which her mother became an ardent activist for Negro rights. Regina has begged to take the case because of the letter addressed to Thurgood Marshall that has come about the case, a letter signed by M. P. Calhoun, a name Regina recognizes as that of the author of a children’s book titled The Secret of Magic, a book she read and cherished in her childhood. But even before her arrival in Revere, Regina begins to experience cultural shock, and that experience is only heightened by what will befall her in Revere and in her encounter with Mary Pickett Calhoun. This uncompromising account of the cruelties of segregation and the power wielded by the Ku Klux Klan, intimidating even fair-minded white folk into keeping silent about white on black crimes, is told with a lyrical beauty that enchants even as it horrifies by its revelations of the inhumanity of one race toward another. This is a novel that needs to be read and studied in book clubs and classrooms, and the author has included questions for discussion in these settings.

I greatly enjoyed this captivating novel of life, racism and the workings of the law in the post-war South. In 1946, a decorated young war veteran is killed during his return home to Revere, Mississippi. At the request of the employer of his grief-stricken father, Regina, a black female law student working under the wings of a young Thurgood Marshall, seeks to solve the mystery of the soldier's death. In her search for justice, a naïve Regina takes her first foray to the segregated south where she finds that the mythical secrets of this small town may actually be based more on fact than fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed the vivid imagery which envelopes you in an atmosphere where you feel like you're sitting on a porch in the midst of the sweltering south, sipping sweet tea in the mystical world of "The Secret of Magic." The author's lyrical cadence gives us a peek into the inner workings of the social order of the Jim Crow south. Her use of a unique "book-within-a-book" storytelling style weaves together a complex cast of characters who co-exist in a segregationist world on the cusp of the Civil Rights era. I was captivated by the many twists, turns and elements of surprise. As has become the norm with books based in the south about relationships among blacks and white, some have compared this book to "The Help." Other than the locale and segregationist atmosphere, I find absolutely no comparison. This is an excellent read.

I thoroughly enjoyed Deborah Johnson's "The Secret of Magic" and have recommended it to family and friends. It does not hurt anyone to be reminded of the turbulent times in the South in the 1940's compared to the times of today, and Johnson invests in both the political and racial issues of that era in her novel. However, I think the beautiful part of the book is how the author has tied the plot of those times around a simple children's book written and read by most of our characters, a book whose own plot allows little black children and little white children to play together in a stretch of land where equality actually exists. In the main plot line of the novel a young black female lawyer heads to the deep South to try and find justice for the father of a returning military hero who makes it through the War only to be killed by the people he has known for years. Now she meets those same people, along with the author of the children's book, and forms friendships that she would never have believed could have existed. In reading the novel, it is sometimes difficult to know whether you love Johnson's characters or dislike them but that is her intention and one of the beauties of the book.

Loved her writing so much I'm reading her prior novel The Air Between Us, and I'm enjoying it. It's also about the citizens of Revere, Mississippi.

The Secret of Magic is full of rich history, intrigue and smooth storytelling. The story begins with a slow and mellow bus ride. The road becomes rocky outside Aliceville, Alabama as Deborah Johnson takes readers back to Revere, Mississippi - home of racial tension and injustices. This time, the characters evolve from a dark children's book where murder, mystery and mayhem abound.Thurgood Marshall comes on the scene - cool and strong. His down-to-earth presence is easily felt and heard. I looked up from my book several times because I felt the story transported me back in time to the office of history's prominent Justice. He was so real in the story; I was mesmerized and read in awe.There are secrets and magic throughout the novel, and the author takes her time delivering pieces of a story that will keep you spellbound. This is another MUST READ by Deborah Johnson.

very interestin and thought provoking

A brilliant tale of the postwar civil-rights movement. A young female lawyer from the north pushes against barriers of race, gender, class and culture to gain justice for a victimized Vet.

I've always been interested in books about the deep south around the time this book was written. I lived through the changes in the laws and my husband actually lived in the south at this time. The author got it spot on. Her descriptions brought so much back. It makes me realize how far we have come.

This is a wonderful book,a mixture of sadness and joy but most of all resilience and love. Thanks to the author for creating these amazing people...based on real ones. Very sad how much hatred and ignorance still prevail. This book gives hope