Praise Jerusalem!
1997
First Published
3.76
Average Rating
266
Number of Pages
Praise Jerusalem! spans a few vital weeks in the lives of three elderly Southern women who have been thrust into a concerted effort to find their "New Jerusalem" - a utopia of heavenly perfection. In this case, however, it is the small town of Jerusalem, Georgia, to which the women journey, each expecting to find happiness at last. But to find their utopia, they must overcome the social and racial estrangements that isolate them from each other. Mamie Johnson, an African-American woman who is fleeing from an abusive relationship, desires an existence in which she will be free not only from abuse but also from centuries-old racial stereotypes. Maybelline, in exquisitely polite Southern terms, "has not had advantages, " but despite her lack of "good blood, " formal education, or fine manners, she determinedly pursues a course of service to the others. Miss Amelia, a small-town dowager who finds herself suddenly bereft of the social and economic security she has enjoyed all her life, makes a dual journey - one in the company of Mamie and Maybelline, and another, more reluctant journey back in memory to a summer of her childhood.
Avg Rating
3.76
Number of Ratings
255
5 STARS
24%
4 STARS
38%
3 STARS
30%
2 STARS
6%
1 STARS
2%
goodreads
Author
Augusta Trobaugh
Author · 9 books
Augusta Trobaugh is the author of three previous novels, Sophie and the Rising Sun, Resting in the Bosom of the Lamb, and Praise Jerusalem!, a semi-finalist in the 1993 Pirates Alley Faulkner competition. She holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Georgia, with a concentration in American and Southern literature. Her work has been funded through the Georgia Council of the Arts.
