African American Southern Historical

Abigail was the last keeper of the house, the last to know the Howland family's secrets. Now, in the name of all her brothers and sisters, she must take her bitter revenge on the small-minded Southern town that shamed them, persecuted them, but could never destroy them.

Waiting to enter a movie theater to see "Dr. No," the first James Bond movie, Simon sees a cute Black girl standing in a separate line that leads to the balcony, the "colored" section. A friend tells him, "You're in the South. Stick with your own kind.” Simon doesn't. It's the steamy summer of 1963. Simon Klein has moved with his family, Jews from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Pickettville, Alabama, where his father has taken a job at a nearby Army base. He is as mystified of the South as Southerners are of a Jew While gathering information for a story he is writing for his school paper, Simon ...

Monck’s Corner, South Carolina, 1739. When Mae Briscoe learns that a small group of slaves plans to flee to Florida for freedom among the Spanish, she knows she must go with them. The master’s son has been far too friendly lately, and there’s no one to protect her. She knows the trek will be rough, and it will be hard adapting to a new culture, but given the circumstances, the call of freedom is too strong to resist. Thus, she begins an adventure of a lifetime, heading south to freedom.

Ya'll, let me tell you my story!Glad you could find your way here, and I welcome you to the Sellers Plantation here in the deep south of Mobile, Alabama. I'm anxious to get started with my story tellin,' so, I'm sharin' a little bout the story that I be tellin' to ya'll down below. When I wuz born, I be given the name Gertrude Ida Rollins, but as I be growin' folks just be callin' me Ms. Gertie. I wuz born in Mobile, Alabama in the year eighteen and eighty-eight. Yes, that be a long time ago for most of ya'll, but I thinks it be good to be learnin' bout the history that be comin' before you...

As a young woman, Naomi Simmons grabbed her one chance to escape the overwhelming demands of her selfish family by marrying devout older man Jacob Purcell. But it only landed her with a controlling, unfaithful husband who delights in hurling insults at her and their troubled now-teenage daughter, Ethel Mae. So, Naomi is amazed and touched when Homer Clark sees her for the vibrant, intelligent woman she truly is. Believing the handsome, worldly widower is her love of a lifetime, Naomi plans to leave with Homer and start fresh in the big city.

A forbidden affair. A city on the edge. A choice that could cost everything. In the pre–Civil War South, New Orleans is a city divided by wealth and bondage, power and desperation. Trent, a plantation master, finds his world spiraling out of control when his secret affair with a slave unleashes betrayal, vengeance, and the threat of ruin. Caught in the storm are Amana, Tabari, and others whose lives intertwine in a struggle for dignity and freedom. Every decision they make carries a price — and survival demands both courage and sacrifice. Keeper of Slaves is the second novel in the ...

One girl. One journey. A fight for freedom against impossible odds. Virginia, 1858. Torn from one plantation to the next, young Venus endures cruelty at every turn — yet discovers glimmers of unexpected kindness and courage. As she struggles to survive in a world ruled by greed and violence, her path collides with fellow slaves yearning for freedom and abolitionists willing to risk their lives along the Underground Railroad. With every step, Venus must choose between fear and defiance, despair and hope. Her choices will shape not only her future, but the lives of all who walk beside her. ...

A forbidden love. A dangerous secret. A choice that could cost everything. 1858, South Carolina. Thandi and her brother Isaac arrive at the Lexington plantation to help with the harvest. Tom, the plantation heir who grew up beside them, welcomes them back with warmth and affection. But his wife, Anna, refuses to tolerate “slaves in her house,” forcing Thandi and Isaac back into the quarters — and igniting a cruel tension that spreads through every room of the estate. As Tom and Thandi steal moments in the quiet of the garden, friendship becomes longing… Longing becomes desire… And...

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER! · A heart wrenching and hopeful novel from the USA TODAY bestselling author of The American Queen "Absolutely worthy." --Booklist, starred review "Should be required reading." --Library Journal, starred review "Resilience, faith, and grit." --Jodi Picoult, #1 New York...

A New York Times bestseller and Oprah's Book Club Pick-the unique and deeply moving saga of four generations of African-American women whose journey from slavery to freedom begins on a Creole plantation in Louisiana. Beginning with her great-great-great-great grandmother, a slave owned by a...

Neighborhood tensions reach a breaking point in the finale of New York Times best-selling author Mary Monroe's captivating series that sweeps listeners back to 1930's Alabama and into the lives of two neighboring couples whose deceitful friendships and imperfect marriages are just the beginning of their troubles...

Betrayal cuts deep. Freedom demands everything. In the antebellum South, loyalties collapse and secrets erupt as masters and slaves are forced to choose sides. Rivalries flare, alliances shift, and every decision could mean survival — or destruction. At the heart of it all lies one final reckoning: a moment where courage collides with cruelty, and love risks being consumed by power. Slaves of Fools is the third novel in the Antebellum Struggles series — but it can be read as a standalone story. Gripping and unflinching, it delivers a powerful tale of resilience, sacrifice, and the ...

It was a mild May morning in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1862, the second year of the Civil War, when a 23-year-old slave named Robert Smalls did the unthinkable and boldly seized a Confederate steamer. With his wife and two young children hidden on board, Smalls and a small crew ran a gauntlet of heavily armed fortifications in Charleston Harbor and delivered the valuable vessel and the massive guns it carried to nearby Union forces.

The “enlightening” (The Guardian) true story of the last ship to carry enslaved people to America, the remarkable town its survivors’ founded after emancipation, and the complicated legacy their descendants carry with them to this day—by the journalist who discovered the ship’s remains...

“A debut of enormous ambition” spanning eight generations of a Black family in West Tennessee as they are repeatedly visited by the Devil (Nathan Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Sweetness of Water) Yetunde awakens aboard a slave ship en route to the United States with the...

Step into the untold story of resilience, perseverance, and hope in The Son of a Sharecropper. Author Roger Leaks Jr. takes listeners on an intimate journey through the trials and triumphs of growing up Black in the rural South during the era of segregation, sharecropping, and systemic inequality. This deeply personal memoir captures the harsh realities of life in the early 20th century, including the struggles of sharecropping families, the impact of Jim Crow laws, and the unyielding spirit of a young boy determined to rise above his circumstances.

This “exuberant celebration of Black women’s joy as well as their achievements” (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author) novelizes the life of real estate magnate Josephine N. Leary in a previously untold story of passion, perseverance, and building a legacy after emancipation in...

One woman’s courage. One nation’s shame. In the antebellum South, Rachael is torn from everything she loves and thrust into a world ruled by cruelty and betrayal. Yet even in chains, her spirit refuses to break. When a chance encounter entangles her in a dangerous web of secrets and espionage, Rachael must summon every ounce of courage to protect those she holds dear — and risk everything for the faint hope of freedom. Every choice carries a price. Every secret could mean life or death. As rivalries flare and loyalties are tested, her journey becomes a battle for dignity, survival, ...

Danger deepens. Betrayal cuts closer. The fight for freedom is far from over. Sunny Washington’s escape was only the beginning. Now hunted across the South, she faces new trials that threaten not just her life but the lives of those she dares to trust. Slave catchers close in, betrayals emerge from the shadows, and every step forward carries a price. As Sunny’s courage is tested in ways she never imagined, she must decide who to stand with, who to fight for, and what she’s willing to risk for freedom, justice, and love. The Adventures of Sunny Washington: Book Two delivers a gripping ...

From the two-time Emmy Award–winning producer and host of the Black and Published podcast comes a sweeping multi-generational epic following seven generations of Dupree women as they navigate love, loss, and the unyielding ties of family in the tradition of Homegoing and The Love Songs of W.E...