In 1858, two black women meet at a restaurant and begin to plot a revolution. Mary Ellen Pleasant owns a string of hotels in San Francisco that secretly double as havens for runaway slaves. Her comrade, Annie, is a young Jamaican who has given up her life of privilege to fight for the abolitionist cause. Together they join John Brown's doomed enterprise and barely escape with their lives. With mesmerizing skill, Cliff weaves a multitude of voices into a gripping, poignant story of the struggle for liberation that began not long after the first slaves landed on America's shores. Michelle Cliff is the author of No Telephone to Heaven, among other books of fiction, and a forthcoming essay collection, Apocalypso. She lives in Santa Cruz, CA.

Michelle Cliff's fiction has always been met with high praise, from Toni Morrison to Clarence Major and beyond, also in the press. Cloth edition was published to strong, favorable reviews in 1993 (Dutton) and paperback was released by Penguin in 1995. Out of print for some time (55 total copies available on Amazon....) Anticipate blurbs and support from a range of contemporary writers to reposition the book for 2004. Author tour: west coast Local angle: much of the story takes place in San Francisco, where MEP is a legendary figure. CL is very appropriate publisher for this book!

About the Author
Michelle Cliff was born in Jamaica and is the author of two previous novels, No Telephone to Heaven and Abeng; a collection of short stories, and two poetry collections. Her fiction, poetry, and esays have appeared in numerous publications, including Parnassus and the VLS.


Book Information
ISBN 9780872864375
Author Michelle Cliff
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint City Lights Books
Publisher City Lights Books
Weight(grams) 269g
Dimensions(mm) 203mm * 127mm * 15mm