Kaitlyn Greenidge

Syreeta McFadden/Workman

hide caption

toggle caption

Syreeta McFadden/Workman

Kaitlyn Greenidge

Syreeta McFadden/Workman

This month on Code Switch, we’re talking about books — new and old — that have deepened our understandings of what it means to be free. First up, a conversation with author Kaitlyn Greenidge about her new historical novel, Libertie, which tells the story of a daughter pushing back against her mother’s expectations of what her life should look like.

The book touches on some classic themes: the evolving relationship between a mother and daughter, the tension between personal freedom and communal responsibility, the difference between a career and a vocation, the distance between here and home. And within those themes, Greenidge explores the very specific, dynamic story of young, dark-skinned Black woman who refuses to be exactly what anyone expects of her.