Family

In this wise, beguiling, beautiful novel set in the era of the Civil War, an award-winning playwright and author paints a haunting portrait of a woman named Always, born a slave, and four generations of her African-American family.

Many novels have been written about slavery, but this one is original, stirring, vividly personal and painfully intense. -- Los Angeles Times

The sort of book that ought to be read out loud. Both eerie and saddening, [and] filled with tragedies, it is also about survival. In its strong rhythms and colloquial expression, this book is a living woman's monologue. -- The New York Times Book Review

What most distinguishes Family . . . is the persistant affirmation of the power of the human spirit to do battle with evil--and to win, even if only for a while. -- Chicago Tribune

What a voice. . . . Cooper celebrates family, freedom, perseverance, life, and . . . powerful voices finally heard. -- The Atlanta Constitution

"With power and grace, Cooper weaves the dialect, styles and myths of the South into a portrait of the hell that was slavery.... Masterful."
-- Publishers Weekly