Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You, which was longlisted for the Story Prize and was a finalist for the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and We Cast a Shadow, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the PEN Open Book Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and International Dublin Literary Award. A recipient of an Iowa Review Award in fiction, he has been published in the Virginia Quarterly Review, AGNI, the Kenyon Review, The Massachusetts Review, and Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas. A native of New Orleans, he is a graduate of the University of New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop and a professor of creative writing at Louisiana State University.

"Bold and ambitious . . . Ruffin urges us to lay claim to an odds-defying legacy of determination and willful optimism."--Los Angeles Times

"A riveting coming-of-age story . . . captivating and vividly rendered."--The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Vividly told in the here and now."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

" A vibrant story of Black female empowerment that transcends time . . . intimate and powerful The American Daughters do not wait for freedom to arrive. They have already defined freedom for themselves."--Southern Review of Books

"A fascinating portrait of New Orleans in the mid-1800s--both its richness and its cruelty. Best of all, [Ruffin] brings alive the characters . . . and makes real their suffering, as well as their courage and their joy."--Chapter 16

"An enthralling tale of a secret resistance movement run by Black women in pre-Civil War New Orleans."--TIME

"If you love learning about unsung histories, hidden societies, and the antebellum South, you will love The American Daughters."--Essence

"A coming-of-age story meets gripping historical thriller."--Tertulia

"Interspersed with documents and transcripts that give the novel the feel of something sacred and discovered--which, of course, is exactly the point--Maurice Carlos Ruffin's The American Daughters is a compelling tribute to his female ancestors."--ELLE

"The always-inventive author of the Pen/Faulkner finalist We Cast a Shadow returns with an electrifying work of historical fiction centered on a gutsy former slave girl who joins a clandestine band of female spies working to undermine the Confederacy."--Electric Lit

"A sobering yet liberatory portrayal of American slavery and of the courage, determination, and intelligence required to survive it."--Booklist, starred review

"At once powerful and hopeful, daring and revelatory, this book is an unforgettable fight for freedom that is impossible to put down."--Stylecaster

"Structured with a genius conceit, The American Daughters is a thoughtful, courageous, exciting invitation to look beneath the surface. . . . A splendid work."--Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets

"An absolute master of craft and genre . . . How has this book not been written before? Because we've never experienced a radical loving living talent like Maurice Carlos Ruffin. This is a forever book."--Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy

"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."--Lauren Wilkinson, author of American Spy

"[Ruffin] paints a vibrant picture of antebellum New Orleans. Readers won't be able to resist this stirring story of freedom by any means necessary."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A high adventure, a revealing history, and a chronicle of one woman's self-realization. Black women as agents--literally--of their own liberation. Who wouldn't be inspired?"--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Pub date: 2025-03-04

Length: 304 pages