The American Daughters

by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

First published 2024

Ady and her mother Sanite live as slaves to a French Quarter businessman in New Orleans. The sharp-witted girl and her fierce mother share dreams of freedom while remembering their family's rebellious past. When they are torn apart, Ady loses all hope and direction. She wanders into the Mockingbird Inn, where she meets Lenore, a free Black woman who becomes her close friend. Lenore brings Ady into the Daughters, a secret society of women who spy against the Confederates. Drawing on the courage her mother taught her and the strength of her new sisterhood, Ady discovers how to claim her own destiny. Her path leads toward liberation and the possibility of creating something entirely new.

Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century, african-american-historical-fiction

Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: found-family, secret-society

Setting: Confederacy, French Quarter, New Orleans

Period: 19th Century

289 pages · Kindle Edition · One World

Content warnings: slavery

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