Some Soul to Keep - by J California Cooper (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Featuring five incredible short stories exploring love and how its presence or absence impacts family relations, friendships and romantic relationships, Some Soul to Keep draws a vivid picture of Black characters that leap off the page with their spirit and voice in the literary folk tradition associated most often with Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. With her warm narration and understanding of the human condition, J. California Cooper brings stories of Black family life in rural and small town America that are deeply moving and unforgettable.

Review Quotes

"Her style is deceptively simple and direct, and the vale of tears in which her characters reside is never so deep that a rich chuckle at a foolish person's foolishness cannot be heard." --Alice Walker

"Cooper's stories beckon. It's as if she is patting the seat next to her, enticing us to come sit and listen as she tells complex tales about women, often poor women, chasing dreams of love, a house, and a family." --Ms.

"Cooper is humorous, wise, self-deprecating, and always expressive...her stories are about simple truths told with great energy that makes them shine." --Kirkus Reviews

"The stories are wonderful, very human tales that sparkle with warmth, humor, and often, revenge." --Library Journal

"Cooper's stories dramatize the wages of sin and the rewards of patience, as well as the occasional sweet taste of revenge." --Chicago Tribune

"Cooper knows how to 'talk' her stories to us, as though each of them is told by a kindly and concerned friend. The sound of them is lovely, memorable, haunting." --San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author

J. California Cooper (1931-2014) is the author of two novels, six collections of stories, and seventeen plays. She was honored as the Black Playwright of the Year in 1978 for her play Strangers, and her book Homemade Love was the winner of the American Book Award in 1986. She also received the James Baldwin Writing Award and the Literary Lion Award from the American Library Association.