A New Novel by Jimmie Martinez
A New Novel by Jimmie Martinez
With echoes of To Kill a Mockingbird and Where the Crawdads Sing, Martinez's latest work, Nola's Black Dove, whisks readers away to an idyllic, verdant island, rich with the fragrance of blossoms, the sound of waves, and the vibrant tapestry of Cajun culture, nestled on the marshy edges of Louisiana's coast. It also transports the reader to a New Orleans courtroom, steeped in grandeur and history, and illuminates the intricacies of race and class biases. The book deftly tackles weighty social issues with a light, straightforward touch.
"MISTER, I AN'T WHITE." THERE ARE AS MANY SHADES OF PREJUDICES AS SKIN TONES...
Set in 1957 New Orleans, Nola’s Black Dove features Noel 'Crow' Corbin, a resilient and rebellious Cajun attorney who fearlessly battles against the rigid grip of Louisiana's discriminatory laws. Crow employs unconventional strategies as he deftly maneuvers through a corrupt legal system to save a multiracial five-year-old girl from losing the only family she has ever known. Along the way, he renews his struggles with sobriety and finds lost love. Nola’s Black Dove captures the French Quarter's energy and the Cajuns’ joie de vivre. It is the sequel to the author’s novel, Cajun Crow and the Mockingbird.
Nola’s Black Dove, a novel of historical significance, was inspired by actual events and strands of the racial reclassification lawsuit of Robert Green v. The City of New Orleans, 88 So. 2d 76 [1956]. However, the novel strays far from the original story by design, offering a unique and compelling narrative that resonates with the present.
What Kirkus Review says about Nola's Black Dove, "A gusty, fearless protagonist (nicknamed Crow) leads a novel that challenges the absurdity of segregation laws...Martinez's legal drama, based on a real (1956 racial reclassification) case in Louisiana, has an imperfect protagonist in Crow, whose Cajun roots and legal career make the story a lively love letter to the local culture and damning indictment of the era's racial policies. The author's wry sensibility regarding the legal system's corruption is amusing and illuminating, while the absurdity of Dove's specific case is described in a matter-of-fact, common-sense way...but the unexpected conclusion feels authentic."
Praise for Jimmie's other novels:
Loved It!..." Nola's Black Dove (2024) is a great novel, perfect for fans of sociopolitical fiction like To Kill a Mockingbird and Where the Crawdads Sing. Absolutely worth a read!" ...Electra Nanou, reviewer for
– Reedsy
Summer of Haint Blue (2021),” Martinez, whose previous novel Cajun Chameleon (2018) similarly centered on 1960s segregation…takes the story beyond what would be a mere morality play to show the complexities of race and class prejudices”
– Kirkus Review
Cajun Crow and the Mockingbird (2022) is a “vivid portrayal of Cajun culture…those fascinated by New Orleans will find much to relish”
– Kirkus Review
"Jimmie's novels capture the essence of life in the 50s and 60s in Cajun, Louisiana"
– Governor Edwin Edwards, The First Cajun Louisiana Governor.
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