COMING SEPTEMBER 2025
New Harmony
A Mother’s Story of Love and Loss
A NOVEL
Book One in the New Harmony Series
Margaret Butler’s story is the nightmare every mother dreads—the death of her child. As a deeply spiritual woman born in 1905, her story also reflects the laments of former slaves and their descendants because her son’s murder, as well as the truth of who killed him, is wrapped up in the paternalism and racism of the South, reflected in the lives of Ophelia and Hollis Demmings, occupants of the Big House. Their two children, Candy and Floyd Demmings, as well as the objects of their affection, become collateral elements that contribute to Thad Butler’s murder and the eventual murder of Hollis Demmings. After recounting Thad’s funeral in the first chapter, Margaret’s story begins as a ten-year-old who fervently wishes to be schooled.
The remainder of Part One follows the contours of Margaret’s life, from the innocence of her childhood to the death of her son. Framed by the 1949 funeral of her 16-year-old son, Part One builds the intricate web of decisions and behaviors that become the rationalizations for murder. Part Two recounts what unfolds after her son’s death, continuing until we discover the reasons for his murder and the culprits’ identity. Yet, the ending still offers some unexpected twists.
New Harmony’s prose is lyrical and immersive, grounded in emotional precision with a tone reminiscent of the oral tradition.
New Harmony is the first of a three-part series.
Watch the trailer for New Harmony
REVIEWS
“A moving debut that honors the enduring power of love and reflection.”
Nestled in the beauty of New Harmony, South Carolina, shaped by the deep-seated memories of the past and the realities of Jim Crow in the 1950s, Margaret navigates the joys and challenges of being both “colored” and female. As a daughter and child, she becomes aware of the harsh injustices others face, and as an adult and mother, the brutal injustices of New Harmony rip her life wide open.
The constraints of class and race are ever present, but the murder of her son tests the limits of her love, faith, and resilience. Yet even in her grief, she discovers hope in storytelling, community, and the quiet strength of a mother’s vow never to forget.
New Harmony: A Mother’s Story of Love and Loss is a poignant story of a Black woman’s fight to preserve her family and voice in a world intent on erasing both.
—Kirkus Reviews
“If you’re looking for a literary drama novel tinged with a gripping coming-of-age, historical tale, and suspense, Leon E. Pettiway’s New Harmony is a must-read.”
The storyline is split into two parts, the first following Margaret from childhood, through her early adult years, into marriage, to the death of her son. The second part follows the family’s discovery of Thad’s murderer and their motive. Using Margaret’s first-person perspective voice and evocative, cinematic depictions to unfold the intriguing plot, Pettiway took me back to the early 1900s, giving me a glimpse into the lives of Black people at that time in the South.
The earthy conversations, infused with rural Southern vernacular, brilliantly capture the social dynamics between Black and white people and their distinct cultures. They also give depth to the cast’s conflicts, complex traits, and intricate emotions, allowing me to connect with them. Although fiction, the raw, authentic tone of the storyline gives it a memoir like quality. I loved this book.
—Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite
“New Harmony: A Mother's Story of Love and Loss by Leon E. Pettiway is a profoundly moving debut novel that chronicles the life of Margaret Butler, a Black mother living in New Harmony, South Carolina.”
The story begins with the funeral of her 16-year-old son, Thad, who was murdered in a racially motivated act of violence in 1949. Through Margaret’s grief-stricken voice, the novel traces her life from childhood in 1915 through her adolescence and adulthood, revealing the harsh realities of growing up as the daughter of Black sharecroppers amid systemic racism, poverty, and gender expectations. A pivotal part of Margaret’s story is her complex relationship with Candy Demmings, the white plantation owner's daughter, which exposes the intricate social dynamics. The narrative moves between past and present, emphasizing the enduring impact of memory and trauma on Margaret’s life and her family’s legacy.
Leon E. Pettiway’s lyrical and immersive prose draws readers deeply into Margaret’s world, capturing the intimate pain of personal loss and the broader social injustices of the American South. The novel explores themes of love, resilience, faith, and resistance, portraying Margaret’s efforts to protect her children and seek justice despite overwhelming barriers. The Southern vernacular, oral tradition tone, and nuanced character development create a vivid and emotionally resonant read. New Harmony is a profound meditation on motherhood, grief, and the ongoing struggle against inherited racism, making it an essential, deeply affecting read that honors the enduring power of love and the quest for truth and healing.
—Zahid Sheikh for Readers' Favorite