
The Wake of the Wind
A Novel
J. California Cooper(Author)
Anchor Books (Publisher)
Published on 28. December 1999
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-0-385-48705-4 (ISBN)
Description
A dramatic and thought-provoking novel of one family’s triumph in the face of the hardships and challenges of the post-Civil War South, from the award-winning author of Family
“Rendered with compassion and beautiful simplicity.”—The Washington Post Book World
“[A] provocative and at times painful family portrait . . . It should be required reading.”—Detroit Free Press
Opening in Texas during the waning years of the Civil War, The Wake of the Wind tells the epic story of a remarkable heroine, Lifee, and her husband, Mor. When news of Emancipation finally comes to Texas, Mor, Lifee, and their family set out in search of hope and a piece of land they can work and call their own. Miraculously, they manage not only to survive but to succeed—their crops grow, their children thrive, they educate themselves and others. But the South during Reconstruction is not a place that takes kindly to the achievements of former slaves, and as lynchings and injustices become a plague across the region, time and time again they must make the anguished decision to leave their land in search of a safer place.
Land, however, is the least of their worldly possessions. Lifee and Mor are the descendants of a long and vital line. Having used their intelligence, strength, and ingenuity to make their place in the new post-Civil War world, they in turn pass those talents along to their children—the next generation to surge forward, accomplishing more than their parents could ever dream.
At once tragic and triumphant, The Wake of the Wind is a penetrating look at the challenges that generations of African Americans have had to overcome in order to carve out a home and a future for themselves and their families.
“Rendered with compassion and beautiful simplicity.”—The Washington Post Book World
“[A] provocative and at times painful family portrait . . . It should be required reading.”—Detroit Free Press
Opening in Texas during the waning years of the Civil War, The Wake of the Wind tells the epic story of a remarkable heroine, Lifee, and her husband, Mor. When news of Emancipation finally comes to Texas, Mor, Lifee, and their family set out in search of hope and a piece of land they can work and call their own. Miraculously, they manage not only to survive but to succeed—their crops grow, their children thrive, they educate themselves and others. But the South during Reconstruction is not a place that takes kindly to the achievements of former slaves, and as lynchings and injustices become a plague across the region, time and time again they must make the anguished decision to leave their land in search of a safer place.
Land, however, is the least of their worldly possessions. Lifee and Mor are the descendants of a long and vital line. Having used their intelligence, strength, and ingenuity to make their place in the new post-Civil War world, they in turn pass those talents along to their children—the next generation to surge forward, accomplishing more than their parents could ever dream.
At once tragic and triumphant, The Wake of the Wind is a penetrating look at the challenges that generations of African Americans have had to overcome in order to carve out a home and a future for themselves and their families.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
272 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-385-48705-4 (9780385487054)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
J. California Cooper