These Low Grounds

By Waters Edward Turpin

Book Overview

"Life emerges sharp and clear in its outlines, forceful and blunt in its impact, and is as real as good rich black earth, and as free of superficialities." -- Ralph Ellison

A forerunner of family history legacies such as Alex Haley's Roots, this lost classic of African American literature traces the lives and struggles of four generations, from Martha, a freed slave turned housemaid, to her great-grandson Jimmy, an athlete who dreams of becoming a teacher and improving the lives of others.

"A fine and important book, dramatic and exciting." -- Edna Ferber

"The most striking quality in These Low Grounds is the remarkable and just and fair balance." -- The New York Times

" Turpin] treats his characters as people, hating, loving, striving, facing disillusionment, rather than looking at them as a race apart, stage props, plantation incongruities in a modern civilization . . . . It is a good story, convincingly told." -- Kirkus Reviews

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486843491
• ISBN13: 9780486843490
• Release Date: July 2020
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.