Paule Marshall Book order

Avey Johnson, a middle-class widow, embarks on a transformative journey during a Caribbean cruise, spurred by a troubling dream. Leaving her friends behind, she seeks to reconnect with her roots and the culture she has distanced herself from. This unexpected adventure leads her to confront her past and rediscover her identity. Originally published in 1983 and awarded the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award, this new hardcover edition is part of McSweeney's Of the Diaspora series, highlighting its enduring significance.

The collection features four long stories that explore themes of identity and race through richly developed characters facing personal crises in diverse settings, including Barbados and Brazil. A prim old Negro confronts his own life choices through a young servant's experiences, while an aging Jewish professor's attempts to teach a part-Negro student lead to his downfall. The narratives reveal a profound exploration of life's contrasts—black and white, life and death—illustrated through evocative prose that captures the complexity of human existence.

Set against the backdrop of post-war Europe, the story follows Sonny-Rett Payne, a black jazz pianist who escapes to Paris in 1949 to pursue his passion amidst familial disapproval and racial challenges. His journey explores themes of artistic struggle, love, and family conflict, culminating in his success and untimely death in a foreign land. The narrative reveals the complexities of a musician's life and the societal obstacles he faces, offering a poignant look at the intersection of art and identity.

From one of America's most distinguished black novelists, the acclaimed bestseller that won the 1991 Booklist Award for Best Adult Fiction. Ursa is a well-educated, good-hearted, hard-working young black woman living in New York--a woman seeking to come to terms with herself, her life, and her parents back home in the West Indies.

This collection of short works illustrates the growth of a remarkable writer. Opening the volume is the much-acclaimed autobiographical essay, “From the Poets in the Kitchen,” which pays homage to the hard-working, storytelling West Indian women who serve as her muses—women who fought back against oppression and invisibility using the only weapon at their command: the spoken word. Such women appear in her luminous short stories, which travel from Brooklyn to Barbados and back again.

Selina Boyce, the daughter of immigrants from Barbados, becomes aware of her passions as she grows to womanhood in Brooklyn and experiences the conflict between two cultures.