MAIN STREET

A child learns about redlining from a neighbor.

Toward the end of her friend Alison’s birthday party, narrator Olivia, who presents Black, invites the other kids to her street’s annual block party. When Alison, who appears to be white, replies, “I can’t. My mom says Main Street isn’t safe!,” Olivia is undone: “My stomach aches. / My face is hot. / My eyes fill with water. / I can’t wait to leave.” After her mother drives her home, Olivia tells her dark-skinned elderly neighbor Ms. Effie why she’s so upset (“I wish I didn’t live here”). Ms. Effie is spurred to share a memory (“I remember the first time I heard someone say Main Street wasn’t good enough…”) that leads to a conversation about redlining. Olivia’s anguished realization that others view her neighborhood not with affection but with fear is intensely relatable, and the book provides accurate and valuable historical context, though the lengthy accounts of bank discrimination and government neglect feel more like history lessons than a compelling narrative. Meanwhile, Wilkerson’s digitally assembled paintings reflect the spirit of the narrative, depicting Olivia’s neighborhood as a warm and welcoming space. While this neighborhood lacks the backyard swimming pools found in Alison’s neighborhood, good fellowship more than makes up for it.

Bighearted and tender, though on the dry side.