Twelve Tribes of Hattie, The

Having fled the horror of the American South for a new life in Philadelphia, Hattie Shepherd finds that her American dream is shattered time and again: a husband who lies and cheats, and nine children raised in a cramped little house that was only ever supposed to be temporary.

Hattie keeps the children alive with sheer will and not an ounce of the affection they crave. She knows they don’t think of her as kind. But how could they understand that all the love she had was used up in feeding them and clothing them?

Spanning six decades, the lives of this unforgettable family form a searing portrait of twentieth-century America. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is an extraordinary, distinctive novel about the guilt, responsibility and heartbreak that are an intrinsic part of ferocious love.

Author: Ayana Mathis

ISBN:9780099558705