Dawn Turner’s Insights on Chicago, Community, and Her Latest Novel ‘Majestic Hills’

For many years, Chicagoans experienced the city through Dawn Turner’s unique lens. As a reporter and columnist for the Chicago Tribune for over two decades, Turner explored themes of race, class, and gender. Her perspective was rooted in her South Side Chicago upbringing, which influenced both her journalism and her literary works.

Turner’s debut novel, Only Twice I’ve Wished for Heaven, is a fictional account of growing up on Chicago’s South Side in the 1970s. She wrote it on a Zenith laptop during her commute. Her second novel, An Eighth of August, centers on an Illinois town commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Americans, an event originating in Tennessee and spreading across states.

Her third work, a memoir titled Three Girls from Bronzeville: A Uniquely American Story of Race, Fate and Sisterhood, took a decade to complete. It reflects on her childhood with her sister and best friend in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood. Turner’s next book, Majestic Hills, tells the story of a young Chicago couple who relocate to the suburbs seeking a fresh start. Their journey mirrors Turner’s own experience moving from the city to the suburbs in 1989.

Reflecting on her move to the south suburbs, Turner recalls the sense of community and mutual respect among her neighbors. She contrasts this past civility with what she describes as today’s “bullying and intolerance.” She notes, “This country has never been perfect, but there’s a difference when moving toward the ideals we profess compared to the opposite direction.” Her novel reflects on these societal changes, inviting readers to ponder, “What are we doing?”

Majestic Hills explores themes of race, class, love, and marriage. It examines quiet compromises in relationships and the concept of belonging in pursuit of the American Dream. Turner likens finding one’s place in a community to broader national conversations about where individuals fit in society.

Turner remarks on how her sense of freedom has shifted in recent years. Despite this, she remains committed to storytelling as a way to confront social issues. In her book, a scene unfolds where characters, wary of associations with white supremacy, realize people dressed in white are actually wearing beekeeper suits. This symbolizes the lingering ghosts of past and present racial tensions.

Turner recounts moments of solidarity from her suburban neighbors during a family health crisis, highlighting the capacity for empathy despite societal divides. She would not choose to repeat the move today but emphasizes the connections that unite people.

Discussing Majestic Hills, she hopes the novel illustrates how unity can exist in turbulent times. Turner reflects on how initial allies in the book remain consistent throughout, stressing the need for deeper understanding beyond surface-level interactions.

Turner will speak about Majestic Hills with former Tribune columnist Heidi Stevens at Women & Children First Bookstore on August 11 at 7 p.m.