Synopsis
Beyond That Room by Susie Ruth Powell is a stirring historical novel that traces one Black family's multigenerational saga against the searing backdrop of the 1898 Wilmington Massacre in North Carolina-a dark chapter in American history that marked the only successful coup d'état on U.S. soil.
Set on the family's rural farm just outside the city, the novel follows their intimate triumphs and tragedies amid a larger storm of political upheaval, racial terror, and systemic injustice. As North Carolina's Democratic Party wages a ruthless white supremacy campaign to overthrow a biracial government, threats, intimidation, and electoral fraud culminate in a violent eruption that forever changes the landscape of Wilmington-and the lives of those who call it home.
With lyrical precision and unflinching honesty, Powell explores the resilience of family in the face of unthinkable cruelty. Themes of identity, love, loss, generational trauma, and survival are woven throughout this emotionally rich narrative. As the family grapples with questions of belonging and the meaning of freedom, their story echoes far beyond the confines of their farm-and far beyond that room where safety once seemed possible.
Written by acclaimed attorney and Emmy-award winning storyteller Susie Ruth Powell, known for her work on The Loving Story and The Rape of Recy Taylor, this novel is both a deeply personal tale and a powerful illumination of a pivotal moment in American history.
About the Authors
Susie Ruth Powell is a celebrated author, retired managing attorney, and longtime advocate for justice. A distinguished graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law (Class of '73), Powell built a remarkable career in public interest law, serving as a managing attorney and litigator with North Carolina Legal Services and later as an assistant professor of law at North Carolina Central University. Her decades-long commitment to poverty law has resulted in landmark victories for disenfranchised individuals and communities, many rooted in the principles she first embraced at Case.Powell's talents extend beyond the courtroom and classroom into the realm of storytelling. She was a writer on the Emmy Award-winning documentary The Loving Story, and served as a story developer for The Rape of Recy Taylor, both acclaimed films that explore the enduring legacy of race and justice in America. In recognition of her extraordinary contributions to law and society, she was honored with the prestigious Centennial Medal Award, the highest honor awarded to a CWRU Law graduate.She is the author of Beyond That Room, a powerful and poignant historical novel set against the backdrop of the 1898 Wilmington Massacre. Blending her legal insight with lyrical storytelling, Powell brings to life a family's struggle for survival, dignity, and hope during one of the most pivotal-and suppressed-events in American history.
Elizabeth Ann Atkins is a best-selling author, an Emmy-nominated TV host, actress, and journalist who teaches how to unlock one's infinite potential to live and love in peace and purpose. Elizabeth created and hosts The Goddess Power Show with Elizabeth Ann Atkins(R), a podcast and YouTube channel exploring provocative topics to empower women to live bigger, better and bolder. Elizabeth and her sister Catherine M. Greenspan created Two Sisters Writing and Publishing(R), which has written and published 60 memoirs, novels, business books, poetry books, and journals since its creation in 2016. Elizabeth and Catherine have written and published dozens of books, including their mother's book, The Triumph of Rosemary: A Memoir, by Judge Marylin E. Atkins, which is being developed into a screenplay that will be shopped to Hollywood for a feature film. Their mother wrote the book herself, chronicling her controversial, interracial marriage to former Roman Catholic Priest Thomas Lee Atkins. Elizabeth has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Michigan. She has been a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Montel Williams Show, NPR, and many other programs. As America's Book Coach, she helps aspiring authors achieve their dreams of becoming published authors. The bestselling author of 40 books, Elizabeth also co-hosts MI Healthy Mind, a weekly, Emmy-nominated TV show aiming to shatter the stigma of mental illness, addiction, and abuse. She is also a certified meditation teacher, a certified fitness trainer and a wellness advocate.
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