Coleman Hill

A sweeping novel in the vein of Alex Haley’s Roots, Coleman Hill is an exhilarating story of two American families—at once a kaleidoscopic braid of modern myth and personal history, a magnificent exemplar of what the great Audre Lorde called biomythography, and a character-rich tour de force that examines how our narratives are often shaped by the person who is telling them.

In 1916, Celia Coleman and Lucy Grimes flee the racism and poverty of their homes in the post–Civil War South for the “Promised Land” of the North. There, they’ve been assured, equality finally awaits them, as well as greater opportunity for their young families. But it’s not long before the North shows its true colors. Even in Vauxhall, New Jersey, black women are mainly hired for domestic work, money is scarce, children don’t progress in school, and black men die young.

Within a few short years, both women’s husbands are dead. Left to navigate this unwelcoming place alone, Celia and Lucy turn to one another for support in raising their children far from home. They become one another’s closest confidantes and, encouraged by their mothers’ friendship, their children’s lives become enmeshed as well. However, with this closeness comes complication. As the children grow into adolescence, two are caught in an impulsive act of impropriety, and Celia and Lucy find themselves at irreconcilable odds over who’s to blame. The ensuing fallout has dire consequences that reverberate through the next two generations of their families.

A stunning biomythographic work, Coleman Hill draws from family legend, historical record, and fervent imagination to create an unforgettable new history.