The Wake of the Wind - by J California Cooper (Paperback)

About the Book

Set in Texas during the waning years of the Civil War, this epic novel tells the dramatic story of a remarkable heroine, Lifee, and her husband, Mor, two former slaves who carve out a home for themselves and their family.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"A vivid picture of struggle and survival."--Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Rendered with compassion and beautiful simplicity."--The Washington Post Book World

"Heartwarming . . . Cooper knows the cadences of folktale well."--Chicago Tribune

"[A] provocative and at times painful family portrait . . . It should be required reading."--Detroit Free Press

About the Author

J. California Cooper is the author of the novels Family and In Search of Satisfaction and five collections of short stories, including Homemade Love, winner of the 1989 American Book Award, and Some Love, Some Pain, Sometime. She is also the author of severnteen plays and has been honored as Black Playwright of the Year (1978), received the James Baldwin Writing Award (1988), and the Literary Lion Award from the American Librarby Association (1988). She lives in Gualala, California.