The American Daughters

A gripping historical novel about a spirited girl who joins a sisterhood working to undermine the Confederates-from the award-winning author of We Cast a Shadow. 'I knew from page one that this wasn't going to be a typical journey through a familiar history . . . A splendid work' Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets'An emotionally and intellectually captivating journey . . . With fully fleshed out characters and enchanting detail, antebellum New Orleans is vivid in Ruffin's rendering, and 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 that grapples with the legacies of American slavery' Lauren Wilkinson, author of American SpyStirring . . . In telling this important, neglected history with imagination-fuelled research, The American Daughters offers an inspiring story of people who show a way forward with their perseverance, bravery and love' New York Times 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 dreaming of a loving future and reminiscing about their family's rebellious and storied history. 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.