Red River

A "riveting . . . illuminating . . . moving" novel from the New York Times–bestselling author of Cane River, an Oprah Book Club Summer Selection (The Boston Globe).

For the newly-freed black residents of Colfax, Louisiana, the beginning of Reconstruction promised them the right to vote, own property—and at last control their own lives. Tademy saw a chance to start a school for his children and neighbors. His friend Israel Smith was determined to start a community business and gain economic freedom. But in the space of a day, marauding whites would "take back" Colfax in one of the deadliest cases of racial violence in the South. In the bitter aftermath, Sam and Israel's fight to recover and build their dreams will draw on the best they and their families have to give—and the worst they couldn't have foreseen. Sam's hidden resilience will make him an unexpected leader, even as it puts his conscience and life on the line. Israel finds ironic success—and the bitterest of betrayals. And their greatest challenge will be to pass on to their sons and grandsons a proud heritage never forgotten—and the strength to meet the demands of the past and future in their own unique ways.

An unforgettable achievement, a history brought to vibrant life through one of the most memorable families in fiction, Red River is about fathers and sons, husbands and wives—and the hopeful, heartbreaking choices we all must make to claim the legacy that is ours.

"Riveting . . . suspenseful . . . a skilled storyteller able to present the past with power and poignancy." —USA Today