Memphis

Tara M. Stringfellow’s Memphis is a sweeping debut novel about three generations of a Southern Black family. When ten-year-old Joan flees to her mother’s ancestral home, she uncovers buried family secrets, a legacy of resilience, and the healing power of art, memory, and matrilineal strength.

13,000.00

2 in stock

  Ask a Question

Description

A powerful debut novel, Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow traces three generations of a Southern Black family and one girl’s awakening to her ability to change the course of their legacy.

In the summer of 1995, ten-year-old Joan and her family flee her father’s violent outbursts and return to her mother’s ancestral home in Memphis. But this house—built by Joan’s grandfather in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass—holds painful memories. He was lynched just days after becoming the city’s first Black detective, a brutal act that reshaped the family’s destiny.

As Joan tries to rebuild her life, she turns to art, painting vivid portraits of her community. Her mysterious neighbor, Miss Dawn, shares haunting stories of the past—tales of curses, strength, and survival—that help Joan uncover the legacy of the women before her. Through these stories, Joan begins to understand that her creativity is not just an escape, but a form of inheritance—passed down through generations of women who endured, sacrificed, and kept hope alive.

Spanning seventy years and told through multiple voices, Memphis is a moving, multi-generational portrait of Black womanhood, resilience, and the complexities of family legacy. It explores what we inherit—pain, perseverance, and power—and how healing begins when we claim the stories that shaped us.

Lyrical, sweeping, and unforgettable, Memphis is a celebration of art, ancestry, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.

Additional information

Weight 0.221 kg
Author

Format

Paperback

ISBN

9781529339253

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.

General Enquiries

There are no enquiries yet.