Books like Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens

Addy Shadd’s life is anchored by the tales of Rusholme, a town founded by fugitive slaves in the 1800s. Though forced to leave as a teenager, she feels a lifelong call to return, a commandment she keeps in her heart. When the young, curious Sharla Cody is abandoned on Addy’s trailer‑park doorstep, the old woman must decide whether she can assume a maternal role. Through Sharla’s presence, Addy is transported back to scenes of strawberry fields, a church graveyard, and her mother Laisa’s apple pies, recalling the bootleggers of Detroit City and a haunting night outside the town. Memories of Addy’s childhood sweetheart Chester Monk and the intricate white cake she made for her own daughter Chick surface, intertwining past and present. With Sharla’s help, Addy confronts a lifetime of loss and finds a path toward forgiveness and a possible journey home. The novel blends history, family dynamics, and the resilience of older Black women in a rural setting, examining how abandoned children can illuminate forgotten legacies and restore personal identity.

First publish date: 2002