The Blackwoods

“Colbert’s sprawling novel is a deeply felt love letter to Black Hollywood’s groundbreaking forebears and a tribute to the transformative power of maternal love, providing rich emotional insights layered with thoughtful explorations of the intersectionalities around race, class, and gender. A striking testament to the bonds of family and a perceptive study in how events can echo throughout generations.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An absorbing intergenerational tale about a famous Black Hollywood family, their relationship with notoriety, and the ramifications that come with it.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Colbert beautifully describes the complex lives of three young women through the alternating perspectives of Blossom in 1942, and Ardith and Hollis in the present day. Carefully tackles serious themes of race, family, sexual harassment, and addiction, and invites readers into the joyous highs and painful lows of fame and its legacy.” – Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“Told in two time periods and following the perspectives of a young Blossom Blackwood and her two great-granddaughters, Colbert’s novel explores the difficult choices each has to make to stay true to themselves.” – Booklist

“This story shines. Colbert’s latest novel deserves a spot in teen and high school collections.” – School Library Journal

“Colbert delivers a heartfelt, layered story that delves into themes of identity, societal expectations, and the blurred boundaries between private and public lives. The exploration of family secrets [and] the weight of expected gender roles add elements of intrigue and suspense, keeping readers engaged and eager to unravel the truth.” – Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Brandy Colbert delivers yet again with a whip-smart look at gender, Blackness, and aspiration, and what the Hollywood machine has historically given and taken from performers of color. The Blackwoods is a story about the messiness of family and the burdens and triumphs of carrying the legacy of Black excellence. As a family, the Blackwoods are so tenderly drawn and beautifully human, I found myself wishing I could spend even longer with them well after I’d turned the final page.” – Christina Hammonds Reed, New York Times-bestselling author of The Black Kids

“A gorgeously layered, expansive, and emotionally generous page-turner, The Blackwoods made me think about fame and family and legacy in ways I never had before. To put it simply, it swept me off my feet.” – Nina LaCour, author of the Michael L. Printz Award-winner We Are Okay

“Wholly absorbing and meticulously researched, I was captivated from page one by this multigenerational story of Black Hollywood royalty. You will fall in love with Blossom Blackwood, her ambitions, and her entire family.” – Malinda Lo, National Book Award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club

“Binge-able as the best movies, this epic, beautifully-written tale of one famous Hollywood family is Brandy Colbert at the top of her game. Full of secrets and lies, loss and love, history and destiny, The Blackwoods shines.” – Laura Ruby, National Book Award finalist and author of Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All

Brandy Colbert is the award-winning author of several books for children and teens, including Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which was the winner of the 2022 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and a finalist for the American Library Association’s Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award. Her other acclaimed books include The Blackwoods, Pointe, The Voting Booth, The Only Black Girls in Town, and the Stonewall Book Award winner Little & Lion. A member of the faculty at Hamline University’s MFA program in writing for children, Brandy lives in Los Angeles.