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Four Spirits

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 1,005 ratings · 150 reviews

From the acclaimed author of the national bestseller Ahab's Wife comes an inspiring, brilliantly rendered new novel of the awakening conscience of the South and of an entire nation.

Written with the same scope and emotional depth as her previous award-winning novel, Four Spirits is set in Sena Jeter Naslund's home city of Birmingham, Alabama, a city that in the 1960s was kn...more From the acclaimed author of the national bestseller Ahab's Wife comes an inspiring, brilliantly rendered new novel of the awakening conscience of the South and of an entire nation.

Written with the same scope and emotional depth as her previous award-winning novel, Four Spirits is set in Sena Jeter Naslund's home city of Birmingham, Alabama, a city that in the 1960s was known as Bombingham. Naslund brings to life this tumultuous time, weaving together the lives of blacks and whites, civil rights advocates and racists, and the events of peaceful protest and violent repression, to create a tapestry of American social transformation.

Stella Silver is an idealistic, young white college student brought up by her genteel, mannered aunts. She first witnesses the events of the freedom movement from a safe distance but, along with her friend Cat Cartwright, is soon drawn into the mounting conflagration. Stella's and Cat's lives are forever altered by their new friendships with other committed freedom fighters.

A student at a black college, Christine Taylor is inspired to action by the examples of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. She courageously struggles to balance her family responsibilities, education, and work with the passions and dangers of the demonstrations. Her friend Gloria Callahan, a gifted young cellist and descendant of a runaway slave, tries to move beyond her personal shyness and family coziness to enter a wider circle, including blacks and whites, men and women, all involved with the protests. Lionel Parrish, teacher, preacher, and peddler of funeral insurance, battles his own demons of lust and self-preservation, while New York activist Jonathan Green gives up a promising career as a pianist to work for racial justice in the South.

These characters all add their voices to the chorus that makes up this symphony of innocent children and the mythic elderly, the devoutly religious and the skeptical humanist, the wealthy and the poor, the city and the country. Poignant and evocative, rich in historical detail, and filled with the humanity that is the hallmark of Naslund's fiction, Four Spirits is a compelling tale that transcends tragedy and evokes redemptive triumph.(less)

Paperback, 560 pages

Published September 7th 2004 by William Morrow Paperbacks (first published September 1st 2003)

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Dec 23, 2007 Clare Savage rated it 3 of 5 stars

I did not like how this book was written. I was expecting more of an impact of the 4 little girls to be played out with the characters. I often put the book down for periods of time because it did not flow well. Although, it represented some of the feelings of the south, I was expecting more. I wanted more of an immigrant/religious perspective of growing up at this time. This would have been more of my family's story than the author's, but it is a huge part of Birmingham, AL history.

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Feb 18, 2011 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Really great novel. I'll quote from the author,

"When I was a college student in the early sixties in Birmingham, Alabama, I promised myself, if I ever did become a novelist, that I would write about the acts of courage and tragedy taking place in my city. I would try to re-create through words what it was like to be alive then; how ordinary life went on, how people fell in and out of love, how family members got sick, how people worked ordinary jobs, tried to get an education, worshiped, looked...more

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Dec 30, 2009 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: challenge-winter09, historical-fiction

In early 1960s Birmingham AL the growing (and increasingly violent) civil rights movement forges unlikely bonds between people, both white and black. Naslund tells the story of two tumultuous years (1963 and 1964) through the viewpoints of several characters, including both black and white college students, a middle-aged black couple, and an abusive, racist white couple. In the first part of the book the desire to cover ground from each viewpoint really seemed to slow things down. By the second...more

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Jun 30, 2009 Sharyl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Four Spirits is dedicated to the four little girls who were killed in a church bombing on September 15, 1963, in Birmingham, Alabama. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley's memories are a constant sorrow and motivation for all of the characters in this novel by the beautiful writer Sena Jeter Naslund, who grew up in Birmingham and promised herself, at the time, that she would one day write about the scary and sad events that engulfed Birmingham during the 1960s....more Four Spirits is dedicated to the four little girls who were killed in a church bombing on September 15, 1963, in Birmingham, Alabama. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley's memories are a constant sorrow and motivation for all of the characters in this novel by the beautiful writer Sena Jeter Naslund, who grew up in Birmingham and promised herself, at the time, that she would one day write about the scary and sad events that engulfed Birmingham during the 1960s.

We meet a variety of people from Birmingham's black community up close, as well as a few white students, a Klan member and his abused spouse, and a young man from New York who has come to the South to help people register to vote. Naslund is a painterly writer; she has the ability to make her audience feel for her characters and mourn or celebrate their fates.

Since I don't remember the events of 1963-65, this book was a bit of an education for me. For one thing, I didn't realize just how many people in the South were actually gleeful about the news of President Kennedy's assassination. It was shocking for me to read that there were people in Birmingham that were not ashamed of being glad that someone was dead--and not just in private, but openly.

Everything that went on--The KKK's violent attacks that were ignored by police, the segregation, the random bombings, the various tactics of keeping black people from voting, and the poor employment choices for minorities all came together to create hell on earth. This city earned the nickname Bombingham.

Part of this novel involves a night school for people who need to study for their GED test, and it welcomes everyone, even though all the students are black. However, one day, the two main white characters, Stella and Cat, have decided to help out as teachers there. They have both just graduated from college, and have been brought up in homes where bigotry did not exist. Along the way, Stella and Cat face their own challenges; Stella has some lack of freedom that came with being a young woman (I didn't know a single woman couldn't get birth control pills without telling your doctor when the wedding was), and Cat is physically handicapped in a world when it was okay not to hire someone for that reason. The other teachers at the school are black, and thus they are--integrated. Gloria, Christine, Arcola, Stella, and Cat. It's a very small night school, they aren't even funded, yet they face harassment and bomb threats. It's hard to imagine the level of hatred, and why a few people couldn't even congregate in a hot room on a summer night without any books. And even if every one of them were to get his GED, it's not like good jobs would suddenly be open to them. The spirit and motivation behind teaching and learning in this kind of environment was incredible.

Part of the motivation is the hope that one's children will live in a better world. And of course one's parents are everything, they set the example in both good and bad ways. Christine desperately wanted her children to better themselves, to be kind to everyone, to take care of themselves, and to be respected in the community. The flip side was Ryder, the Klansman, the uneducated bigot and wife-abuser. The Klan was depicted as a familial thing--how sad, to be brought up in the tradition of dressing like a white cone head and maiming and killing innocent people.

The theme of the book is hope. In the end, we hope that the people who survived these days can look back and say that everything they did was worth it, that the friends and family they lost did not die in vain. I decided to pick up this book because of its author; Sena Jeter Naslund wrote Ahab's Wife, a book I consider to be one of my favorites of all time. And, for those who read that earlier novel, there is a nod to it, around page 142, where we learn that Gloria is a great-great granddaughter of a certain escaped slave named Susan. This novel is another example of Naslund's talent, and I would recommend it to anyone.(less)

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Jul 29, 2012 Kristine Daniels rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an intense read following several main characters and a number of minor characters through the Civil Rights movement in Birmingham Alabama in the early 1960's. It is based loosely on the experiences of the author, and many of the events and people described are historically accurate, some fictional. It spins the story out by recreating events seen through the eyes of the different characters, including a college-educated black teacher, a handicapped person, a Klan member's wife, a young...more

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Oct 24, 2009 Rae rated it 4 of 5 stars

Birmingham, Alabama, the early 1960’s, the Civil Rights Movement. Four Spirits interweaves the stories of a dozen different players in this critical time period. Each is a vivid portrait, bringing a different perspective to the events that unfolded – the marches, lunch counter sit-ins and the event that is the core of Four Spirits, the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church by the Ku Klux Klan, in which four young girls died. The real life players, Martin Luther King Jr, Ralph Abernathy only...more

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May 29, 2012 Peggy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

After reading a dozen 5th grade reading leveled adult fiction books, I was craving a really well written book. Thankfully, my library shelf browsing led me to Four Spirits. It is the story of the Civil Rights movement of 1963 and 1964 in the author's hometown of Birmingham, AL. The activities and tension of the time is told through many characters--a Ku Klux Klan member and his abused wife, a middle aged Black war veteran and his wife, a church minister, a white wheel-chair bound girl and a whi...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Tra-Kay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This book is quite a mess and could have stood to be halved. Most of the first near-300 pages are a mixture of clumsy failures at introspective, beautiful writing, and extended vignettes about various characters, much of which adds nothing to the story. I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed in a writer, but if not for my love for Ahab's Wife, I would never have kept reading.

Around the time Cat and Stella start teaching, the book picks up, and thankfully maintains momentum until th...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, drama

While this book may not have the same flow as others, it gave the readers insight into many different characters within the story. I regret this was the first time I had ever heard of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing, but in the pages of the book, I was transported back to a time, when, not too long ago, people were killed to acquire what we now take for granted. Her words led me to feel anger, shame, and hope, as if I were in Birmingham in the '60's. I don't think I fully grasped jus...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Rod rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: damngoodread

This thoughtful, gentle book moves at the pace of the south itself in illustrating the civil rights movement from many perspectives. Each little chapter could stand alone as an essay but together they build a story that unfolds as slowly and as gloriously as a magnolia flower.

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Aug 18, 2010 Janice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books

This book is set in the early 1960's in Birmingham, Alabama, and recounts much about the early Civil Rights movement of that era, including the sit-ins, beatings, and bombings. The author has great descriptive skills, such as a passage that tells of the first time to put on a pair of pantyhose, of all things!!! And the telling of the "Four Spirits" of four little African-American girls (killed in a church bombing) as they visit and whisper with an elderly black woman, is magical. I really strugg...more

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Jun 23, 2009 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

What to say about this book? It was about the Civil Rights movement in the early 1960's in Birmingham, Alabama. While I already knew about this time in history, it was really horrific to read about it on a more personal level (at least it felt personal to me). It makes me sick to think of how people were treated and how such terrible acts were allowed to be committed against the black people. This book had some really difficult issues and I had to skip over some parts as I just couldn't bear to...more

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Jan 25, 2010 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, highly-recommend, southern-lit, a-through-z-challenge-2010, favorite-authors, favorites

Sena Jeter Naslund has such a gift of making historical fiction so informative while ensconced in a story that captivates you with its plot and emotionally grabs you with its characters. A book such as this one speaks volumes for the case of including historical fiction along with textbook learning in schools. As Naslund was herself a college student in Birmingham, Alabama in the early sixties, she is well qualified to write about the civil rights movement and surrounding events in Birmingham du...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book because of the author's ablitity to write as a male, female, black, white etc. The different chapters and each perspective keep you aware of all sides of the civil rights movement. I felt like I was reading about real people. The relationships, the conversations, and even the personal thoughts seem so real. I was again impressed by Naslund. Her writing style is dramatic, and true, but it's also to the point. The details are delicately described; portions of the book could be considere...more

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Jul 07, 2009 Chandra Power rated it 5 of 5 stars

Everyone needs to read this book. This is the story of a variety of characters confronting racism, their own prejudices, and the horror of the violence during the Civil Rights movement. The title refers to the souls of the four children killed in the Montgomery church bombing. There are no easy answers in this book, and all of the characters are finely crafted and very human. No larger than life, stereotypical portraits, here. Two of the most interesting, although unsettling at best, characters...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Wfbcreeds rated it 5 of 5 stars

From the acclaimed author of the national bestseller Ahab's Wife comes an inspiring, brilliantly rendered new novel of the awakening conscience of the South and of an entire nation. Written with the same scope and emotional depth as her previous award-winning novel, Four Spirits is set in Sena Jeter Naslund's home city of Birmingham, Alabama, a city that in the 1960s was known as Bombingham. Naslund brings to life this tumultuous time, weaving together the lives of blacks and whites, civil right...more From the acclaimed author of the national bestseller Ahab's Wife comes an inspiring, brilliantly rendered new novel of the awakening conscience of the South and of an entire nation. Written with the same scope and emotional depth as her previous award-winning novel, Four Spirits is set in Sena Jeter Naslund's home city of Birmingham, Alabama, a city that in the 1960s was known as Bombingham. Naslund brings to life this tumultuous time, weaving together the lives of blacks and whites, civil rights advocates and racists, and the events of peaceful protest and violent repression, to create a tapestry of American social transformation. Stella Silver is an idealistic, young white college student brought up by her genteel, mannered aunts. She first witnesses the events of the freedom movement from a safe distance but, along with her friend Cat Cartwright, is soon drawn into the mounting conflagration. Stella's and Cat's lives are forever altered by their new friendships with other committed freedom fighters. A student at a black college, Christine Taylor is inspired to action by the examples of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. She courageously struggles to balance her family responsibilities, education, and work with the passions and dangers of the demonstrations. Her friend Gloria Callahan, a gifted young cellist and descendant of a runaway slave, tries to move beyond her personal shyness and family coziness to enter a wider circle, including blacks and whites, men and women, all involved with the protests. Lionel Parrish, teacher, preacher, and peddler of funeral insurance, battles his own demons of lust and self-preservation, while New York activist Jonathan Green gives up a promising career as a pianist to work for racial justice in the South. These characters all add their voices to the chorus that makes up this symphony of innocent children and the mythic elderly, the devoutly religious and the skeptical humanist, the wealthy and the poor, the city and the country. Poignant and evocative, rich in historical detail, and filled with the humanity that is the hallmark of Naslund's fiction, Four Spirits is a compelling tale that transcends tragedy and evokes redemptive triumph.
Loved it!(less)

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Jun 06, 2008 Meredith rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

I would actually give this 3.5, but that's not an option. Before picking it up, I'm kind of ashamed to say, I knew absolutely nothing about the Civil Rights Movement. Like, zero. Thank you, Connecticut public school system. This book helps you get a grasp on it through the narrative, without seeming too textbook-y. My main problem is that every character is a super cliche -- redneck racist angry young klansman wants to blow up black people; strong, take no shit black woman takes no shit; liberal...more

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Dec 22, 2007 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

The "Four Spirits" referred to in the title of this book are the four young girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham. (Or are they? By the end of the book I was thinking the title could refer to four other "spirits.") Although the bombing is a major event in the book, though, I wouldn't say that this book is "about" that bombing. Rather, it's about what it was like to live in Birmingham during the struggle for civil rights, for black and white citizens, alike. And boy...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very different from the other two I've read, and I found the way in which the reader is drawn into the world of the black people, especially the "Four Spirits" is enthralling, and makes their fate so hard to read about.
Naslund also takes us into the world of the whites who were drawn into The Clan, and while it isn't possible to condone their actions she nevertheless allows one to gain insight, and perhaps some compassion for their place in society.
Personally I have profound respect for this wr...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Dan Chance rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: hist-fic

Mrs. Naslund startled this reader with her tremendous vocabulary and delighted him with her clear imagery of people like the KKK bomber and his wife. The period was one I had lived through though from the safety of Georgia and being a member of the white race. I had not concerned myself with the day to day happenings in the civil rights movements so her description filled in many gaps for me. Though fictionalized in that fictional characters interacted with real characters it created a "real" em...more

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Jun 24, 2009 Robyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

I bought this book when I lived in Birmingham, and picked it up because I missed Birmingham. The characters are weird, sometimes a little flat, and hard for me to relate to. A little Dickensonian in that she wants to telll you about everything that's happening in Birmingham at this time. I thought the characterization overall sucked, but I still finished it, so it wasn't that bad. She should have written this as memoir, not as fiction. It would have been infinitely more interesting to see her ow...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really difficult book for me to read. You read about the first half of the civil rights movement through the eyes of several characters... African Americans, white activists, Klan members, etc. It was both eye opening and alarming for me. I knew that there was a considerable amount of Klan activity, but I had no idea how widely sanctioned it was. It gave me an entirely new appreciation of how brave those who participated in the movement actually were. Oh, and if you're looking for a n...more

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Aug 07, 2009 Marvin rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book has some of the same evocative writing that marked Ahab's Wife, one of my all-time favorite books, though my sense here is that she crosses the line to being self-conscious about technique. It's also hard in the first third of the book to keep track of the multitude of characters she introduces in very short chapters to tell the story of the struggle for racial integration in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963-65, from multiple perspectives.

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Oct 23, 2010 Pam rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 21, 2008 Sarah Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in the civil rights movement

Shelves: historical-fiction

This book is extremely personal and intimately portrays the people of Birmingham during the Civil Rights movement. It was a fast read for me - I couldn't put it down. It was also very emotional and made me both cry and laugh out loud... I strongly recommend this book but wouldn't recommend reading it on the bus or a vacation!

I have to agree with other reviewers that with so many characters and (and thus perspectives shared), it was sometimes hard to follow. But if you persevere you will grow to...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Sarah added it

I'm only a few pages into the book and I don't think I want to continue. I just don't find it believable. Supposedly she is writing from the perspective of a five year old girl. I just don't feel it. Her writing is so flowery. Maybe I need to stick with it but I find that if It doesn't catch me right away, I don't care to continue.

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Feb 20, 2011 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book interwove the stories of many characters living in Birmingham, Alabama in the early-mid 60s. It gave me a new perspective on the civil rights era. For example, in the story on the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the books portrays some people in Birmingham were happy about it. It never occurred to me some people would be happy that JFK was killed. Jeter Naslund brought to life sit ins, the 16th street Baptist church bombing, riots in the street, violence from the KKK, and the day...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Chris Blocker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: to-read-2012

Sena Jeter Naslund knows how to craft a very beautiful sentence. There is a cadence to the words she puts together that can be no accident. And though Four Spirits suffers from being the follow-up to Naslund's brilliant Ahab's Wife, it is this beautiful rhythm coupled with her heart for the subject that provide this novel with its strongest qualities.

What harms Four Spirits most, I believe, is the author's attempt to present so many perspectives. It works, but it doesn't necessarily add to the s...more

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Oct 27, 2010 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent book! It reminds me of another of my favorites about life in the south during the Civil Rights movement - "Five Smooth Stones".

This story is told from the viewpoints of young adults from many different walks of life in Birmingham during the sit-ins and bombings. Such horror but told with humanity and courage. There's also a lot of history woven into the tales which always make it better in my eyes. Sad, but hopeful - I truly liked this book.

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Jan 13, 2009 Celia rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a fabulous book! The author was a college student in Birmingham, Alabama, during the Civil Rights marches and writes about that time period. You get the perspective of several different people. I heard the author speak right after I read the book. Fascinating.

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About Sena Jeter Naslund

Sena Jeter Naslund is the New York Times best-selling author of five novels, including Ahab's Wife (1999) and Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette (HarperCollins, 2006). She is currently Distinguished Teaching Professor and Writer in Residence at the University of Louisville and program director of the Spalding University brief-residency Master in Fine Arts in Writing. Recipient of the Harper Le...more

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“She seemed imprisoned in her sadness.” — 16 people liked it

“If you remembered somebody was as real as yourself, how could you kill anybody?” — 6 people liked it

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