The American Daughters - by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

About the Book

"When Adebimpe is ten, she is sold with her mother Sanite to plantation owner John du Marche. He soon renames her Ady but Sanite never lets her daughter forget who she really is: a person who can read and write and understand numbers. Most importantly, Sanite reminds Ady that she must never reveal these abilities to a white person, especially not her true name. Tasked with maintaining du Marche's home in vibrant New Orleans, Ady takes in the city and starts to envision life beyond her dire circumstances. One day, she notices a beautiful stranger, radiant and poised with a colorful Tignon wrapped regally around her head. Ady realizes that she is a Free Woman. Inexplicably drawn to her, but not knowing who she is or what she does, Ady begins to search for answers"--

Book Synopsis

"An enthralling tale of a secret resistance movement run by Black women in pre-Civil War New Orleans."--Time

"Stirring . . . In telling this important, neglected history with imagination-fueled research, The American Daughters offers an inspiring story of people who show a way forward with their perseverance, bravery and love."--The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)

AN ELECTRIC LIT AND KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Ady, a curious, sharp-witted girl, and her fierce mother, Sanite, are inseparable. Enslaved to a businessman in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the pair spend their days reminiscing about their family's rebellious and storied history and dreaming of a loving future. When mother and daughter are separated, Ady is left hopeless and directionless until she stumbles into the Mockingbird Inn and meets Lenore, a free Black woman with whom she becomes fast friends. Lenore invites Ady to join a clandestine society of spies called the Daughters. With the courage instilled in her by Sanite--and with help from these strong women--Ady learns how to put herself first. So begins her journey toward liberation and imagining a new future.

The American Daughters is a novel of hope and triumph that reminds us what is possible when a community bands together to fight for their freedom.

Review Quotes

"Bold and ambitious . . . Ruffin urges us to lay claim to an odds-defying legacy of determination and willful optimism."--Los Angeles Times

"A riveting coming-of-age story . . . captivating and vividly rendered."--The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Vividly told in the here and now."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

" A vibrant story of Black female empowerment that transcends time . . . intimate and powerful The American Daughters do not wait for freedom to arrive. They have already defined freedom for themselves."--Southern Review of Books

"A fascinating portrait of New Orleans in the mid-1800s--both its richness and its cruelty. Best of all, [Ruffin] brings alive the characters . . . and makes real their suffering, as well as their courage and their joy."--Chapter 16

"An enthralling tale of a secret resistance movement run by Black women in pre-Civil War New Orleans."--TIME

"If you love learning about unsung histories, hidden societies, and the antebellum South, you will love The American Daughters."--Essence

"A coming-of-age story meets gripping historical thriller."--Tertulia

"Interspersed with documents and transcripts that give the novel the feel of something sacred and discovered--which, of course, is exactly the point--Maurice Carlos Ruffin's The American Daughters is a compelling tribute to his female ancestors."--ELLE

"The always-inventive author of the Pen/Faulkner finalist We Cast a Shadow returns with an electrifying work of historical fiction centered on a gutsy former slave girl who joins a clandestine band of female spies working to undermine the Confederacy."--Electric Lit

"A sobering yet liberatory portrayal of American slavery and of the courage, determination, and intelligence required to survive it."--Booklist, starred review

"At once powerful and hopeful, daring and revelatory, this book is an unforgettable fight for freedom that is impossible to put down."--Stylecaster

"Structured with a genius conceit, The American Daughters is a thoughtful, courageous, exciting invitation to look beneath the surface. . . . A splendid work."--Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets

"An absolute master of craft and genre . . . How has this book not been written before? Because we've never experienced a radical loving living talent like Maurice Carlos Ruffin. This is a forever book."--Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy

"Ady is an unforgettable protagonist, a character who meets the crossroads of history with remarkable courage and enduring love."--Imani Perry, author of South to America

"A tour de force. An intelligent and haunting novel."--Lauren Wilkinson, author of American Spy

"[Ruffin] paints a vibrant picture of antebellum New Orleans. Readers won't be able to resist this stirring story of freedom by any means necessary."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A high adventure, a revealing history, and a chronicle of one woman's self-realization. Black women as agents--literally--of their own liberation. Who wouldn't be inspired?"--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

About the Author

Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You, which was longlisted for the Story Prize and was a finalist for the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and We Cast a Shadow, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the PEN Open Book Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and International Dublin Literary Award. A recipient of an Iowa Review Award in fiction, he has been published in the Virginia Quarterly Review, AGNI, the Kenyon Review, The Massachusetts Review, and Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas. A native of New Orleans, he is a graduate of the University of New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop and a professor of creative writing at Louisiana State University.