"The Secret of Magic" by Deborah Johnson

Deborah Johnson’s “The Secret of Magic” is that rare book that truly makes you glad civilization has made the advances they have.  The racial strife and tensions of that time period, for blacks and whites, was truly horrifying.  Just as people were appalled at the atrocities of World War II once details started to emerge, so should we continually be appalled at the way people behaved during that time period.

Without books like “The Help” and “The Secret of Magic,” I probably would not have been as cognizant of how bad things really were.  I’ve never had to walk down the street and be expected to move out of the way for someone else (other than common courtesy) or face their wrath.  I’ve never had to wonder whether I could open the door of a restaurant or shop and freely walk in.  I’ve never had to move to the back of a bus to make room for those who were considered superior.  And I’ve never had to use a drinking fountain or other amenity that was designated for my race only.  For a land that offered freedom and opportunity to all men, these things were, and always will be, unacceptable.

“The Secret of Magic” magically took me to that place.  I felt suffocated, trapped and helpless against the way things were.  And it wasn’t only the injustices to the black community that offended me.  I would not have wanted to live in the white world at that time either.  With their secrets, their hidden truths and half-truths and overall hypocrisy, the South at that time was as cloying and stifling as the humid air and the kudzu that wrapped itself around the South and choked the life out of it.

The author couldn’t have done a better job with Regina Robichard, the main heroine. She was empathic and kind, but also determined to get justice.  Acting on her feelings, and caring for the feelings of others, she slowly tries to work out the truth against tremendous odds.  I know the resolution of each individual case that came out of those times and situations was different, but in the end, we all lost out.  The blight of racial inequality is something that no one can win or erase.