Description

‘Enthralling’ TIME
‘[Has] the feel of something sacred and discovered’ Elle
‘An inspiring story of people who show a way forward with their perseverance, bravery and love’ New York Times
‘Powerful and hopeful, daring and revelatory, this book is an unforgettable fight for freedom that is impossible to put down’ Stylecaster

Ady, a curious, sharp-witted girl, and her fierce mother, Sanite, are inseparable. Enslaved to a businessman in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the pair spend their days dreaming of a loving future and reminiscing about their family’s rebellious and storied history. When mother and daughter are separated, Ady is left hopeless and directionless until she stumbles into the Mockingbird Inn and meets Lenore, a free Black woman with whom she becomes fast friends. Lenore invites Ady to join a clandestine society of spies called the Daughters. With the courage instilled in her by Sanite-and with help from these strong women-Ady learns how to put herself first. So begins her journey toward liberation and imagining a new future.

The American Daughters is a novel of hope and triumph that reminds us what is possible when a community bands together to fight for their freedom.

Publisher Review

An enthralling tale. * TIME * Interspersed with documents and transcripts that give the novel the feel of something sacred and discovered-which, of course, is exactly the point-Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s The American Daughters is a compelling tribute to his female ancestors. * Elle * Stirring . . . In telling this important, neglected history with imagination-fueled research, The American Daughters offers an inspiring story of people who show a way forward with their perseverance, bravery and love. * New York Times * Powerful and hopeful, daring and revelatory, this book is an unforgettable fight for freedom that is impossible to put down. * Stylecaster * Bold and ambitious . . . Ruffin urges us to lay claim to an odds-defying legacy of determination and willful optimism. * Los Angeles Times * [Ruffin] paints a vibrant picture of antebellum New Orleans. Readers won’t be able to resist this stirring story of freedom by any means necessary. * Publisher’s Weekly * I knew from page one that this wasn’t going to be a typical journey through a familiar history . . . A splendid work. — Robert Jones, Jr., author of THE PROPHETS An emotionally and intellectually captivating journey . . . With fully fleshed out characters and enchanting detail, antebellum New Orleans is vivid in Ruffin’s rendering, and Ady is an unforgettable protagonist, a character who meets the crossroads of history with remarkable courage and enduring love. — Imani Perry, author of SOUTH TO AMERICA A tour de force . . . An intelligent and haunting novel that grapples with the legacies of American slavery. — Lauren Wilkinson, author of AMERICAN SPY An absolute master of craft and genre . . . How has this book not been written before? Because we’ve never experienced a radical loving living talent like Maurice Carlos Ruffin. This is a forever book. — Kiese Laymon, author of HEAVY