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."
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Publishers Weekly