Gibson proffers a beautiful story of her neighbors in St. Louis that was razed in 1959 for a highway. She shares vignettes of her childhood, the youngest daughter of a family of 10. She brings the neighborhood to life with her observations of its inhabitants, including her family. It's a loving testimony to a time and place that will never be again. I wish she would have shared more of her own personal story after she moved to NYC, as well as her siblings' stories. Perhaps there will be a follow up memoir.

In this memoir, Gibson shares stories about growing up in Mill Creek Valley—a segregated neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri—before a massive urban-renewal project emptied the once thriving community of its 20,000 residents and 800 businesses.

The book begins with an introduction giving an overview of Mill Creek's origins interspersed with anecdotes focusing mostly on the author's mother, and discusses what the book is about and how it came to be. It felt casual and conversational, and immediately made me want to get cozy and settle in for a lengthy reading session. (Which is exactly what I did.) That conversational tone carried on throughout the book. It reminded of how, when I was a little girl, I used to go over to the houses of a few elderly ladies who lived in the neighborhood. I loved listening to them talk about their families, because it felt like storytime to me. That same pleasant feeling was evoked as I read this book, and it made for a wonderful reading experience.

The Last Children of Mill Creek describes the final years of a community marked for destruction. The focus of the book is not on that impending doom, however. Stories about her large family (which included her parents, paternal grandmother, and seven siblings) are shared alongside vibrant details of everyday life in the close-knit community. Mill Creek and its former inhabitants sprang back to life through Gibson's words, taking the reader back to a time where sundown laws and segregation domineered the lives of African-Americans.

I couldn't help but be struck with a sense of loss, so to speak, when the author shared that she knew little about her parent's early lives. It made me reflect on how important those unknown details become after the loss of a loved one... and how easily the opportunities for those stories to be told slip away, often without notice. There have been so many times I regretted not knowing what shaped the early lives of people I loved. There were so many little things I wish I knew, unknown things that only became important to me after my chance to hear those stories was forever lost. If anything, it serves as a reminder to request those stories, and not to fall into the trap of thinking you have plenty of time and can do it later—because time always run out when you least expect it.

I realize the above may seem off-topic for a review, but it's actually highly relevant in illustrating the thoughts I had while reading this book. A single sentence informed the reader that there was much she didn't know about her parents... and yet, that sentence lingered in my thoughts throughout the entirety of the book, and was something I connected with on a deeply personal level.

One of the reasons I read books like this is to try to understand, as best I can, how racism impacts the lives of people who experience it. It's important to me to try to see the world through their eyes, so that I'm able to consider things not only from my own perspective, but that of others whose experiences are vastly different from my own.

I also look for the things I can easily connect with and understand, because I feel that is equally important. As people become increasingly divided over political and social issues in the U.S. and other countries across the world, the need for empathy and understanding are more crucial than ever—and I believe that begins with a willingness to discover the ways in which we are alike, as opposed to focusing solely on our differences.

I loved this book. In addition to be a great read, it sparked a several lines of thought (as shown above) that I expect to reflect upon for some time. The family stories are every bit as enthralling as the details surrounding the demise of the Mill Creek community, both of which I found fascinating to read.

Highly recommended for readers of memoirs/personal narratives dealing with segregation and racism with a strong focus on family life.

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Belt Publishing via Netgalley.

The Last Children of Mill Creek is Vivian Gibson's debut novel. It is beautifully written. Raised in a large family in a tight knit neighborhood (where everyone knew everyone), the author is able to recreate her childhood and family in a way that makes one feel as though they are sitting at the table. I especially loved the stories of her hardworking father (who worked two jobs, and didn't see the children until the weekend), the daily chore each child had and playing outside with the kids in the neighborhood.
I grew up listening to similar stories my mother told me (even though they grew up in Mississippi) and my aunts and uncles who grew up in segregated neighborhoods in Chicago and St. Louis.
A beautifully written memoir that at times brought tears, and head nods and most definitely smiles. I loved this book.

"The Last Children of Milk Creek" is Vivian Gibson's debut novel and was an absolutely wonderful book. She was the 5th of eight kids raised in the 1940s in Mill Creek Valley, located in downtown St. Louis.
"I thought we had plenty of time for talking - Until we didn't."

The author recreates the everyday experiences of the family and the stores in Mill Creek. A tight-knit place where everyone knew the other. She tells of the chores they each had abd that if it wasn't done or done right when their father came in at night, he would get them all up to do it. I especially liked the story she told of being out with the neighborhood kids and their father standing on the porch whistling for them to come home. He just wanted them all in the yard . He worked two jobs and sometimes didn't see them until the end of the week.
Her mother raised the kids at home while she created handmade crafts to sell. Their father's mother lived with them as well.
I really enjoyed this memoir and the stories told.

Thank you to Publisher and NetGalley for the eARC