Well done historical fiction that's as much a coming of age story as it is about the brave women and actions of the American Daughters. Know that the Daughters aren't introduced until fairly late in the novel- that most of it is focused on Ady's childhood and teens, her life with her mother, and their struggle against DuMarche, the man who enslaves them. This is as compelling (and more emotional) as the story once Ady meets Lenore, the woman who introduces her to the Daughters. My quibble is that it ends abruptly and that the epilogue didn't work. That said, it pulled me in and kept me reading, rooting for Ady, even when it was a tad implausible in spots. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Ady and her mother Sanite are enslaved to a businessman in the French Quarter of New Orleans, often reminiscing on their family's rebellious history. When separated, Ady is directionless, until she meets Lenore, a free Black woman who invites Ady to become a spy. Their group is called the Daughters, and Ady now chooses liberation and a new future.

The framing for this story is that of a historical document being found and commented on; there are so many stories recorded by slaves that clearly had been researched that the author conveys enough realism for Ady's and Sanite's experiences. Slaves in the city had a different experience, just as house slaves had a different experience from those in the fields. The language takes a bit of getting used to at first; the phrases sometimes come across as clunky, as he says "forced slave labor camp also known as a plantation" or "Antoinette also known as Ady" in the beginning. It really slows down the flow of the story, as I'm sure he could have just said "slave labor camp" and Ady, and the reader would know who he's talking about and what he's referring to.

We spend time with Sanite trying her best to shield Ady from the horrors of slavery and what the white people will do while dehumanizing them. Her owner forces attention on Sanite and when his wife complains, sells off their son as chattel. They're beaten after running away, and conditions aren't any better for them once caught. Ady survives, of course, but hers is a hard life even after it changes, full of grief and manipulation in a system designed to break her. She eventually is put in a position to learn about Confederate troop and supply movements. At this point, she and her new friends at the Mockingbird Inn are in danger, as well as the larger movement of spies all across the South. Their efforts bear some fruit, but Ady is never far from danger in a time period when a white man's whims could include her death.

While the conclusion completes the frame of the novel being a found document, I enjoyed it a lot more without that framing story. The narrative of Ady and Sanite's life, of Ady's attempts to move forward as a strong woman and make choices of her own, and the final gesture in the du Marsh townhouse were all compelling enough of a story. She has incredible bravery, even if she doesn't think so, and is an amalgam of all the women whose names we don't know who served in this role during that time period. Their stories were generally not recorded but likely were much like Ady's. I'm glad this one got a chance to be told.

The American Daughters has been marketed as a spy novel during the Civil War, I would argue it is really a coming of age story by a young slave girl. We start with Ady and her mother, Sanite, being sold off in New Orleans to a man who has a house in New Orleans and also a plantation a little ways outside the city. Their responsibility is the upkeep of the house in town.

Right from the get-go they seem to have a lot more freedom than I would presume any slave to have but they are not free an they are very aware of that. But being in the city they come across Free Blacks many immigrants. Sanite was desperate to be free and they do take off in the night, unfortunately, they are captured and brought back. There is a lot of sadness to their story and yet there are hints of joy and certainly a hope of better times in the future.

Ady feels very isolated in the house and there are few people around compared to what it was like for them on a plantation. When she goes off to run errands in town, she meets other young women who at least appear to have a life of freedom that she dreams of. She makes friends and even works for one of them when her master (she won't call him that) isn't in town and she has fewer responsibilities. Again, I had a really hard time wrapping my head around the amount of freedom she had.

It wasn't until 50% into the book that we even heard the term American Daughters and what they were doing to stop the slaveholders. I really would have liked to have had more about them in the book especially because they really did exist and were instrumental in slowing down the Confederates. It felt a little like the author tried to get so many aspects of the times into the book that we never fully grasped any of them.

There was an underlying element told in between some chapters and in the epilogue that spoke to the book being written from a journal written by Ady and then rewritten in different versions over the years (up to a hundred years from now). I don't think this added to the story of overall understanding of the times, I actually think it took away from the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

On the cusp of the American Civil War, Ady is an enslaved woman in New Orleans. She works hard to navigate a life between two worlds. The perspective to contrast with free Creoles was enlightening, and I enjoyed the city and river described almost as additional characters. An overall good read about the women who used their strength to bring the enslaved to light and the slavers down.

I really struggled with the American Daughters. The premise was so interesting. A group of women, many of them slaves, who became spies against the south. However, I wish there had been more detail about that part of the story. There was a lot of background about Ady's childhood and her mother Sanite, which was interesting, but sometimes confusing - they were slaves and had no control, but also seemed to have an amount of freedom that wasn't explained. Then there is a part of the book that reminded me of "The Testaments" - a view of this history from way in the future. I just found these different sections disjointed, but there were a lot of individual aspects that I really appreciated. In all, it's a really interesting story, but I just wanted it to be pulled together a little differently.

Maurice Carlos Ruffin has penned a gripping historical fiction coming-of-age novel about a young girl who joins a sisterhood working to undermine the south before and during the war between the north and south. However, the story line spends a signification portion of it depicting Ady in her childhood. While this helps readers understand Ady, the book synopsis indicated to me that it would mainly be about her activities with the Daughters.

Ady is curious, intelligent, spirited, determined, and brave. She and her mother Sanite have been inseparable until they are split apart by circumstances. The book is mainly from Ady’s point of view and uses terms like “pressed into service” and “labor camps also called plantations.” In other words, Ady and Sanite are not free. Will their journey end in liberation and a new future?
This read was emotional, heartbreaking, and sad, but there were bits of joy along the way. I enjoyed seeing Ady’s growth as events unfolded and she grew older. The beginning and end as well as a few short pages in between are written from the future. Personally, I didn’t feel the epilogue was necessary. I was content for the story to end before it.

It was interesting to learn about the Daughters and their work as spies, insurgents, and heroines; including how they helped the northern soldiers take control of New Orleans. I just wanted more of it. Many threads run throughout the novel including abuse, lack of freedom, torture, hope, sense of community, friendship, family, treatment of women, language and attitudes of the times, and much more.

Overall, this was a gritty and chilling story with compelling characters. The author’s research brought the characters to life and transported me to New Orleans.

Random House Publishing Group – Random House, One World and Maurice Carlos Ruffin provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for February 27, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Maurice Carlos Ruffin, and Random House Publishing Group-- One World for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a sad but good read. I haven't read a book set during the Civil War in a while, and reading it from the perspective of an enslaved girl was harrowing. I admired Ady for her strengths and liked seeing her grow throughout the book. I especially loved the queer representation through her relationship with Lenore, as that was a pleasant surprise and something different than I was expecting. What I also wasn't expecting was the structure of the book. There are a few chapters scattered in the book from "the future" that kind of discuss the events of the book in third person, as if whoever is speaking or writing has read the book as the reader is. This element of "sci fi" was unusual, and I personally felt that it didn't add a ton to the story because of the minor role it played. I think the book could have shone a bit more if that was more developed and if the book was a little longer. I loved the concept of The American Daughters, as both a book and a radical movement, as a whole, and I will check out future works by Ruffin.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: I seem to be in the minority as I didn't enjoy this book very much. I found the author's style of writing and need to interpose observations about slave labor, while historically accurate, did not appear to be consistent with the story. Although Ady--and not the American Daughter movement--was the bulk of the book, I didn't find her character deeply developed. Important history, but it's been handled in more profound ways in other books, in my opinion.

I am so thankful to Random House Publishing Group/One World Books, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, and NetGalley for granting me advanced digital and physical access to this twisty thriller before it's published on February 27, 2024.

I will start by stating that I still have a reading hangover from We Cast a Shadow. So I came to this book very concerned that it wouldn't live up to my memory of Mr. Ruffin's previous writings. And, in a way it didn't. This book is so completely different that to compare them just doesn't work. That is not to say this book isn't good, it is great! It tells the story of a young slave who finds herself in a very unique position to help handicap the Confederate forces during the Civil War. Character development focuses on the people who matter, Ady and her cohorts, and not the enslavers and abusers. I loved the nuanced way the story itself is presented along with a historical presentation of its accuracy. (After all, don't we have a history of questioning the victims' stories?) In this way, Mr. Ruffin, in my opinion, brought the past into the present and reminded us that these issues remain relevant today. And, like with We Cast a Shadow, this is all the presented in his writing style that pulls a reader into his world.

I have to admit to some biases as I craft this review. First of all, I love historical novels, especially those that are well researched. Second, when the setting of the novel takes place in a town where I have visited, it makes the story that much more alive for me. Dr. Ruffin's research as well as his vivid portrayal of New Orleans and the characters made this book seem so real. Ady and her mother are slaves owned by a stereotypical "master." How Ady navigates life in New Orleans is a story in and of itself. And the friends she makes and her proud determination to do what is right almost leaps off the pages.

Dr. Ruffin, it was a pure joy to read The American Daughters. I look forward to reading more of your work.

The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
I received an ARC from NetGalley to review and give my honest opinion of.

I ended up DNF'ing this book. I skimmed ahead and realized it goes nearly 0% just talking about Ady's childhood. There is minimal writing about The Daughters, which was a clandestine group of spies. The description of the book leads you to believe this is primarily about the group, The Daughters, but it is not.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Ady is a slave in New Orleans in 1862, enslaved to Du Marche, a general with the Confederacy. Ady and her mother, Sanite both dream of the day they’d be free to do whatever they want. When tragedy strikes, Ady is alone in her world and has to decide what happens next. Enter Lenore and the Mockingbird Inn. The two become fast friends and Lenore introduces Ady to The Daughters, an underground group trying to undermine the Confederacy.

I couldn’t put this book down. Ady’s story had my stomach in my throat the entire time. I was afraid for Ady as I continued the story. But Ady was outspoken and determined, two traits that could have landed her in more trouble. I loved the theme of community and the potential of bonding together for the greater good. Highly recommend this book!

The American Daughters is a story about Ady (Adebimpe), a child and then young woman who is born into slavery. Her story is engaging and heartbreaking, full of glimmers of love and hope while also full of abuse and atrocities. While there was plenty to tell in Ady's life story, I would have liked the novel to contain more of the intrigue of the American Daughters.

Also...and this is a small thing...I'm confused about why the author chose to surround this deeply engrossing story with the idea that this text was recovered many years in the future. The story was more than enough. The strange introduction, interruptions, and epilogue were distracting and unnecessary.

All things considered, this is a great work of historical fiction and would be interesting to discuss with a book club.

Thanks to NetGalley for early access.

This is my first Ruffin novel, and I was immediately taken by his eloquence. His lyrical style comes alive in the voices of his characters and descriptions of the settings. I was struck by his use of repetition to convey not only the thoughts and experiences of Ady and her mother Senite, but to expose in all its horror the constant state of vulnerability of the enslaved and free black people in the Civil War era. I learned a bit about the American Daughters and their bravery, but so much more about myself, the roots of generational trauma and pride, and about how beautiful writing can shine a light on a past many would like to ignore.

On another note, I appreciated what Ruffin was doing with the epilogue, but it felt out of place with the rest of the story and kind of threw me for a loop. After processing it for a while, I was glad it was there and that I read it.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House,One World, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this beautifully written novel.

The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin is a very engaging historical novel with a wonderful cast of Black women that work together in a spy ring to fight for their freedom. I greatly enjoyed the novel but was confused by the epilogue.

I met Mr. Ruffin at a Southern Literary Conference last spring and knew that I had to read this book as he told about it at the event.

Thanks to One World and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of the book for my honest opinion.

During the Civil War, Ady, an enslaved Black woman, discovers an underground network of Black women spies. Joining them, she begins spying on her master, transmitting information to help defeat the Confederate Army.

This is what the American Daughters is about. However, the story begins much earlier, with Ady’s life with her mother Sanite. That story moves somewhat slowly, though it’s filled with interesting details about life on antebellum slave labor camps (aka, plantations), the relationship between Blacks and Native Americans, and Civil War era New Orleans. Although the premise focuses on Ady’s spying, at its heart, this is the story of women’s relationships: Ady’s relationship with her independent and resourceful mother Sanite, the spirited and inspiring Lenore (who introduces her to the spy network), and the network of Black women dedicated to freedom. It’s also a speculative alt-history based on “found documents” about Ady’s story, with hints of a future world where racist and capitalist systems have been transformed. The plot does strain credibility, but it is an empowering alternative story to the pain-filled, trauma-focused novels about slavery that dominate publishing. Ultimately, it’s a novel that combines fascinating historical detail with a fun, speculative twist. Worth a read!

The cover is what interested me most to consider reading this novel. This novel is much more than a story of the lives of a mother and daughter in pre Civil War New Orleans. To say more would ruin the surprises in store for future readers but they will be rewarded by the experience as was I. Highly recommended.

This is the first book I've read by this author. I picked it up because the description just sounded so interesting I couldn't pass it up.

Description:
A gripping historical novel about a spirited young girl who joins a sisterhood of Black women working together to undermine the Confederates—from the award-winning author of We Cast a Shadow

The American Daughters follows Ady, a curious, sharp-witted girl who is enslaved alongside her mother, Sanite to a businessman in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Sanite and her mother Ady are an inseparable duo—taking walks along the river, working together in the fields and spending nights looking up at the stars, dreaming. Ady’s favorite pastime is listening to Sanite's stories of her families' origins, their fierce and rebellious nature, and the everlasting love that strengthens their bond.

When mother and daughter are separated, Ady is left hopeless and unmoored, until she stumbles into the Mockingbird Inn and meets Lenore, a free Black woman with whom she becomes fast friends. Lenore invites Ady to join a clandestine society of spies called The Daughters. With the courage instilled in her by Sanite—and help from these strong women—Ady learns how to choose herself. So begins her journey toward liberation and imagining a new future. The American Daughters is a novel of hope and triumph that reminds us what is possible when a community bands together to fight for their right to live free.

My Thoughts:
Both Ady and Sarite's lives were filled with hardship and setbacks. This story is both heartbreaking and filled with hope that things can get better and change will come. The goal of true freedom is worth the fight and this story is focused on the efforts of Ady and the other "Daughters" who are involved in the resistance in New Orleans. There are parts of the book that will make you cry at the injustice and other parts where you will be cheering on the Daughters and rooting for their victory. The time spent with this book was well worth it. The writing is well done and the plot moved at a good pace. I was glued to the pages. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction. There is a lot of factual basis to this story as well, which makes it even more interesting to me.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication on February 27, 2024.

A rich and atmospheric work of historical fiction. I was captured by Ady’s story and the work of The Daughters.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.