Ambitious and masterfully-wrought, Lauren Francis-Sharma's Book of the Little Axe is an incredible journey, spanning decades and oceans from Trinidad to the American West during the tumultuous days of warring colonial powers and westward expansion.
This "masterful epic" spans decades and oceans from Trinidad to the American frontier during the tumultuous days of westward expansion (Publishers Weekly).
Trinidad, 1796. Young Rosa Rendón quietly rebels against the life others expect her to lead. Bright, competitive, and opinionated, she does not intend to cook and keep house, for it is obvious her talents lie in running the farm she views as her birthright. But when her homeland changes from Spanish to British rule, the fate of free black property owners—Rosa's family among them—is suddenly jeopardized.
By 1830, Rosa is living among the Crow Nation in Bighorn, Montana, with her children and her husband, Edward Rose, a Crow chief. Her son Victor is of the age where he must seek his vision and become a man. But his path forward is blocked by secrets Rosa has kept from him. So Rosa must take him to where his story began and, in turn, retrace her own roots. Along the way, she must acknowledge the painful events that forced her from the middle of an ocean to the rugged terrain of a far-away land.
A Booklist Editor's Choice Book of the Year
Praise for Book of the Little Axe
"Book of the Little Axe is an epic novel that recreates the hybrid history of Native and African peoples during the era of American exploration and expansion. Lauren Francis-Sharma's care for her characters and skill with her subject shine through every page."-Laila Lalami, author of The Other Americans
"Lauren Francis-Sharma has written one of those thrilling novels - so valuable and welcome - that adds (or better say restores) another strand to our national narrative. We're all the richer for Book of the Little Axe."-Peter Ho Davies, author of The Fortunes
"From her gripping first sentence, Lauren Francis-Sharma draws her reader into her intoxicating tale of intrigue, love, conflict, and power struggle at a pivotal time in the histories of Trinidad and the western United States. Her research is meticulous, her prose seductive, her characters mesmerizing. Book of the Little Axe shines a bright light on the little-known connections between the Caribbean and the United States. Readers will find it almost impossible to put this book down."-Elizabeth Nunez, author of Prospero's Daughter and Even in Paradise
Praise for 'Til the Well Runs Dry
The New York Times Sunday Book Review Shortlist
Black Caucus of the American Library Association 2015 Honor Book in Fiction
"As universally touching as it is original."-New York Times
"Lauren Francis-Sharma turns the family drama on its ear with this lush, elegant epic." -ESSENCE Magazine
"A saga ripe with heartbreak and joy . . . Francis-Sharma delivers a rich and satisfying debut on the ties of family, love, and culture."?Kirkus Reviews
