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This was really good. Story is told with three timelines - 1860s (Mary), 1967 (Nora), and present day (Elizabeth) - in Detroit and rural Michigan. All three women encounter Black men and get involved romantically.

The story switching got hard - there were a lot of characters to remember and it was hard to see where the story was going and how it would tie together. And having three sets of characters to hear about, it was harder to get attached. Nora was the most interesting to me, and the most likable. ( )

In this powerful first novel, a successful journalist must weigh her desire for uncovering the truth against the collateral damage of revealing family secrets. Bartels successfully weaves American history into a deeply moving story of heartbreak, long-held secrets, and the bonds of family. (Publishers Weekly)

I won this book as part of the Library Thing’s Early Review Program. I was under no obligation to write a favorable review and received no compensation for writing this review.

What a debut Erin Bartels! She took us on the journey of 3 generations of exceptionally strong women exploring their thoughts as they consider bi-racial relationships including adultery, racial brutality, and injustice in 3 different time periods ranging from the civil war, the Detroit riots of 1967, and current. I definitely would not call this a romance novel by any means, but a novel of arduous love.

Am definitely looking forward to reading more stories by Erin Bartels in the future. ( )

We Hope for Better Things is set in Detroit and Lapeer County, Michigan in the 1860s, 1960s and current day. It seems as if Detroit has most always been hoping for better things, even during its more prosperous years there was an undercurrent of unrest and dissatisfaction. Erin Bartels spent years crafting this story of race in America over generations of the Balsam family. It is a tender story that will both touch and prick your heart.

Mary Balsam and her husband Nathaniel were abolitionists during the Civil War era. Nathaniel fought on the side of the Union, and Mary took in former slaves who helped her run the family farm, their lives becoming tightly intertwined. Nora Balsam became Nora Rich when she chose to step away from her privileged upbringing in the outskirts of Detroit to marry William Rich, a young black photographer. William had great plans for making a difference, but in an effort to protect his wife from those in his own community that resented her, moved to her family farm, once run by Mary. Elizabeth Balsam, once a well-known journalist in the Detroit area, lost her position at the paper, and also moved to the family farm to temporarily live with and check on an elderly aunt who had been living there. While at the farm she began to unlock the history of the Balsam family, a history that might be considered a microcosm of the history of the area and possibly of our nation.

I recommend this timely story, and am grateful to have received a copy from Revell Publishing through LibraryThing. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation. ( )

Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich. He requests that she look up a relative she didn't know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos. She learns the remarkable stories of two women who lived in a 150 year old farmhouse and their courage in the face of war and racism. This is Erin Bartels debut novel and it takes readers on a journey through the streets of 1960s Detroit to the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. I have read and enjoyed all of Bartels' novels and found this to be a very emotional read with excellent research of our American history and interesting characters. If you enjoy American history, then you will enjoy this book. ( )