Asali Solomon Books

Vividly drawn misfits navigate the complexities of youth and desire in this exploration of identity and belonging. The characters, ranging from a heathen at Jesus camp to a middle-aged mom longing for her past, grapple with their aspirations and the allure of a more reckless lifestyle. As they oscillate between good breeding and the temptation of wild experiences, their stories intertwine in a poignant narrative that captures the essence of longing and the quest for connection. Edward P. Jones praises it as "touching and sensitively observed."

One of the most acclaimed and influential writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Nella Larsen published her powerful first novel in 1928. Quicksand features intriguing autobiographical parallels with Larsen's own life, in addition to reflecting many aspects of African-American culture in the 1920s.Helga's mother is white, and her father is black — and absent. Ostracized throughout her lonely childhood for her dark skin, Helga spends her adult life seeking acceptance. Everywhere she goes — the American South, Harlem, even Denmark — she feels oppressed. Socially, economically, and psychologically, Helga struggles against the "quicksand" of classism, racism, and sexism.Alice Walker praised Quicksand and Passing (Larsen's second novel) as "novels I will never forget. They open up a whole world of experience and struggle that seemed to me, when I first read them years ago, absolutely absorbing, fascinating, and indispensable."