Book Reviews

We Are All Welcome Here

Elizabeth Berg is uniquely talented to be able to write in many different authentic voices. We Are All Welcome Here is a perfect example of her capabilities as an extraordinary writer. Berg skillfully weaves a tender story about Paige, paralyzed from the neck down, and her strength in raising her daughter, Diana, with the help of her “tough-talking black caregiver,” Peacie. Each character’s voice is unique as if Berg has inhabited their bodies and their minds to get into their psyche. Published in 2006, the story takes place in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1964. The story line is still relevant today: “As tensions mount over civil-rights demonstrations across the state, fourteen-year-old Diana is trying to live a normal life. She wants to make money for clothes and magazines, to figure out the puzzle that is boys, and to escape the oppressiveness she sees everywhere in her small town.” — Back cover…