A dramatic and thought-provoking novel of one family's triumph in the face of the hardships and challenges of the post-civil war south., J. California Cooper's third novel, is her most penetrating look yet at the challen...A dramatic and thought-provoking novel of one family's triumph in the face of the hardships and challenges of the post-civil war south., J. California Cooper's third novel, is her most penetrating look yet at the challenges that generations of african americans have had to overcome in order to carve out a home for themselves and their families.