African American women’s fiction exploring resilience, belonging, and love across generations.
Nestled in the quiet beauty of New Harmony, South Carolina, a family saga unfolds against the backdrop of the deep-seated memories of Jim Crow in the 1950s. Margaret grows up in a family where she learns what it means to be both "colored" and female—first as a daughter discovering the harsh injustices around her, and later as a mother fighting to protect her own. When violence tears her world apart, the murder of her son tests the limits of her love, faith, and resilience.
As Margaret reckons with loss, this story of small-town grief turns toward community, memory, and the fragments of hope found in storytelling. This stunning work of literary fiction explores themes of cultural heritage and long-held family secrets that shape her understanding of the past—and guide her toward healing in the present. The result is a thought-provoking, poignant, emotional portrait of one woman refusing to be erased.
In a blend of Southern and historical fiction based on real-life themes, New Harmony illuminates the lived experiences of black women in the Jim Crow South.
New Harmony: A Mother's Story of Love and Loss is Pettiway's debut novel and the first in a series of thematically linked works exploring community, identity, and the enduring bonds of family.
Come home to New Harmony—where healing begins.
