Africaville by Jeffrey Colvin

This family saga originates in a little known black community in Nova Scotia called Africaville. Former slaves from Jamaica were transported there where they learned French, farmed and dug in to create a unique town out of a very inhospitable landscape. This is the chronicle of the Sebolt family, three generations from the late 1800s through the tumultuous 1960s in Alabama and Mississippi to the end of the century. Culture and race relations play important roles in this story but it is really about family and finding your way through your family history. This debut is quietly told but with great purpose. The story and characters dig away at you with a slow burn of smoldering coals but there is always the tension in the background that warns of a blazing fire. Readers who enjoy books that outline black history or family sagas will find this community and its history fascinating.