The Secret of Magic

Summary

In 1946, a young female attorney from New York City attempts the impossible: obtaining justice for a Black man in the Deep South.

At the NAACP offices in New York City, Regina Robichard opens a letter for her employer and mentor, Thurgood Marshall, surprised to discover it is from M. P. Calhoun, one of the most reclusive authors in the country. Calhoun has request that the NAACP investigate the murder of a young black man, Joe Howard Wilson.

As a child, Regina was captivated by Calhoun’s The Secret of Magic, a novel in which white and Black children played together in a magical forest. The book was a sensation—featured on the cover of Time magazine—and banned more than any other novel in the South. And then the author disappeared.

As a stand-in for Marshall, Robichard travels to Revere, Mississippi, to find out the truth behind the murder of Wilson, who was among scores of black men returning from the war. But as she navigates the muddy waters of racism, relationships, and her own tragic past, she discovers that nothing in the South is as it seems.

The Secret of Magic brilliantly explores the power of stories—and those who dare to tell them. Shortlisted for the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, this beautiful novel brings history to light with unforgettable resonance.