If Sons, Then Heirs, Lorene Cary
If Sons, Then Heirs, Lorene Cary
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If Sons, Then Heirs
A Novel

Author: Lorene Cary

Narrator: Zoleka Vundla

Unabridged: 9 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/06/2022


Synopsis

If Sons, Then Heirs sheds light on a uniquely American, largely untold story of African American land ownership, the outmigration from the South, racial violence, and the consequences of past decisions on present realities.

After World War II, Needham family members migrated north to Philadelphia from South Carolina, leaving behind the tragic injustice surrounding the violent death of their patriarch, King. His devoted widow, Selma, remains on the old home place. Over the years, she raises King's children, including his great-grandson, Rayne, on whom falls the responsibility to bring the family together to save the family land and mend the rift between him and his mother.

Rayne and the other vividly drawn characters face challenges big and small that mirror the experiences of families everywhere. But in the masterful storytelling of Lorene Cary, so distinct and unique are their voices that they will live in the minds of listeners long after the book's conclusion. If Sons, Then Heirs is a tour de force that explores the power of family secrets, bonds, and love. This gripping novel is certain to be on the must-read lists of all who enjoy brilliantly rendered stories of family, love, and American history.

About Lorene Cary

Lorene Cary is the author of the memoirs Ladysitting and Black Ice, three novels, including The Price of a Child, and one book for young readers. She founded Art Sanctuary and SafeKidsStories.com, teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, and has written a one-act opera of Ladysitting. She lives in Philadelphia.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Quinten on July 25, 2011

Absorbing. Hard to let go of the characters in this multigenerational family of strong descendants of slaves and sharecroppers and their relationship to the land and a violent history in rural South Carolina. The author tells a compelling story about the relatively unknown (to me at least) story of......more

Goodreads review by Toni on March 07, 2011

If Sons, Then Heirs is a complex novel about family, legacy and land. For generations the Needham family has owned and worked the land in South Carolina, but after the patriarch, King is murdered and World War II, most of the members made their way North leaving only Selma, King's widow, behind. Alo......more

Goodreads review by Nandi on May 11, 2011

It starts a bit slow, but once you dig in a bit, oh, it's real good. You got this young fella, Rayne, who lives with Lillie, a African American/Filipina who has a son Khalil, and Rayne decides to get down to South Carolina to see his great stepgrandmother Selma, who is the bearer of burdens and deed......more

Goodreads review by Andre on July 18, 2011

Wonderful! All the elements of a great novel. Definitely 5 star. Pacing was great, prose was fantastic. The story is engrossing and quite believable. And the treatment of Black Men was thoroughly refreshing. What more can I say? Read it!......more

Goodreads review by Veronica on June 09, 2011

If Sons, then Heirs by Lorene Cary broke my heart by page 5. This was an especially bad thing to do since I was just peeking at the book. It showed up in my post office box near the end of the semester and I knew I wouldn't be able to touch it for weeks. It taunted me on my bookshelf. The first time......more