Description:
The 1960s brought 1,000 young Americans to the Deep South to register voters in Freedom Summer. Edward, Ann, and Reggie meet there. Forty years later their lives reconnect through their children and secrets begin to unwind.
Brief description: Gretchen Eick worked for fourteen years on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, as a foreign and military policy lobbyist and director of an interfaith lobby before earning a PhD in American Studies from the University of Kansas. During her years as Professor of History at Friends University, she taught as a Fulbright Scholar in Latvia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and traveled South Africa on a Fulbright Hays grant. She was awarded Prose Writer of the Year 2021 by the Kansas Authors Club and has eight published books, five novels, two scholarly histories/biographies, and a book of short stories.
Review Quotes:
5 stars--Anonymous Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2021
I just completed, "Maybe Crossings," and I loved it! Gretchen Eick did a fine job of putting together a story that truly symbolizes the phrase, "It's a small world." At various points in the book, I actually spoke out loud. When a book makes me actually become vocal, while reading it, it means that I'm enjoying it. I'm telling friends and family about "Maybe Crossings" and will pass it along to my daughter. I like the way she intertwined fiction with historical fact. Thanks for a good read. You left me wanting more.
5 stars Jim Potter Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2018
Maybe Crossings by author Gretchen Eick is an epic novel-not for its length-but because it's extraordinary.
It's about relationships that are sometimes fragile, sometimes strong. We get caught up in day-to-day life. It's about courage and perseverance, about children and youth, and the trenches of U.S. history.
Early in the book, we're in Mississippi where we're introduced to dedicated people working for civil rights. It's a life-altering summer of freedom.
Maybe Crossings is deep and personal and powerful. Eick is a master at plotting, building tension, and showing various points of view. Her engaging characters are real-people I know. They're interesting but not perfect. Like us, they age, and wonder at what is and what might have been.
Maybe Crossings is a great American novel!
5 stars Rachel Bleau Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2016
I just finished reading Maybe Crossings, by Gretchen Eick, yesterday and was so surprised and pleased with the ending of the book. I enjoyed the entire novel and the vivid scenes it created in my mind as I read the skillfully told story. It was hard to put the book down when I had to come back to my real life duties at various times. This book was especially meaningful to me as it filled a space left void in my life, with vivid details of the civil rights events that happened during my teen years that I had only heard about in news stories at that time. The intimacy of the family and the people involved with each other in the book was compelling. I am going to give this book to my children and grandchildren as it is a beautiful, enjoyable read while one learns some poignant, meaningful civil rights history.
5 stars by Rosalie Moyer Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2016
I found the novel Maybe Crossings by Gretchen Eick to be riveting! One had the feeling of a glimpse into this life changing time in our nation's history. The format of this novel made it possible to become entrenched in the novel itself not as a bystander, but an active participant. I found it difficult to put down the book. The vivid descriptions of the characters and the time period demonstrated Gretchen's mastery of words and the research that went into Maybe Crossings. Looking forward to reading Finding Duncan!
5 stars Sue Bumpous Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2015
This is an engaging story of several individuals and families of different races and how their lives intertwine in unexpected ways over several decades from the 1960s to the new century. I was especially intrigued by the earlier parts of the characters' lives and events that shaped them as they grew older and processed their life lessons. I gained a new perspective on inter-racial relations, a vital topic in current society. Gretchen Eick writes with the understanding and compassion of someone who has lived what she describes. What's next for these people?