a book
Sugar
Bernice L. McFadden · 2001 · 229 pages
From an exciting new voice in African-American contemporary fiction comes a novel Ebony praised for its "unforgettable images, unique characters, and moving story that keeps the pages turning until the end." The Chicago Defender calls Sugar "a literary explosion...McFadden reveals amazing talent." The novel opens when a young prostitute comes to Bigelow, Arkansas, to start over, far from her haunting past. Sugar moves next door to Pearl, who is still grieving for the daughter who was murdered fifteen years before. Over sweet-potato pie, an unlikely friendship begins, transforming both women's lives--and the life of an entire town.
Sugar brings a Southern African-American town vividly to life, with its flowering magnolia trees, lingering scents of jasmine and honeysuckle, and white picket fences that keep strangers out--but ignorance and superstition in. To read this novel is to take a journey through loss and suffering to a place of forgiveness, understanding, and grace. McFadden is the author of the novels Gathering of Waters, Glorious, and This Bitter Earth.
recommended by 2 people
sourced from public statements
Issa Rae
“Her books make cameos throughout [Insecure] just because I love how her main protagonist is a dark-skinned black woman. You’ll see that there are two dark-skinned black leads in this show, something that hasn’t been done much as a comedic duo. She has a great voice and a way of telling stories that feels so raw, so real, and she uses a lot of research to make you feel like, ‘Oh, am I reading fiction or am I reading nonfiction?'”↗
Tarana Burke
“This book is so engaging and beautiful and intriguing and satisfying that I could not put it down.”↗