Features 10 of the best stories by a pioneer in the development of African-American fiction: "The Goophered Grapevine," "Po' Sandy," "Sis' Becky's Pickaninny," "The Wife of His Youth," "Dave's Neckliss," "The Passing of Grandison," "A Matter of Principle," more. Witty, charming, and insightful. Edited and with an Introduction by Joan Sherman.
One of America's first great African-American novelists, Charles Chesnutt (1858–1932) exposed the harsh dimensions of Southern prejudice before and after the Civil War. Powerful and passionate, his novels present richly imagined characters, both black and white, striving to make better lives for themselves.