In the inner city sanctuary known as Brewster Place, seven African American women forge their lives in a place that in turn threatens and protects—a common prison and a shared home. First published in 1982, Gloria Naylor's National Book Award-winning debut sensitively tells the stories of Mattie Michael, Etta Mae Johnson, Lucielia "Ciel" Turner, and the rest, creating a powerful, moving portrait of the strengths, struggles, and hopes of women in America.

"Vibrating with undisguised emotion, [this book] springs from the same roots that produces the blues. Like them, [Naylor's] book sings of sorrow proudly borne by black women."—Washington Post