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.

I found The American Daughters to be a bit confusing in the beginning, but I was completely engrossed once I was able to sort out the characters. The American Daughters is beautifully written especially for such a heavy topic as slavery. Ady faces a lot of trials and challenges, but it seems to make her stronger. I liked how she matured and blossomed into a fierce young woman throughout the book.

I highly recommend The American Daughters. I look forward to reading more by Maurice Carlos Ruffin.

Thank you to Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the gifted copy. I enjoyed this story. This was a slight emotional rollercoaster but it is worth the read.

"The American Daughters" by Maurice Carlos Ruffin is a novel that introduces us to Ady and her mother, Sanite, who are enslaved. While the description makes the book seem like it will be about a spy ring called The Daughters, the revelation and exploration of The Daughters' espionage activities only emerge well into the story, around the 60% mark, and even then, their endeavors are not as central as I anticipated. Given the book's title and description, I expected these elements to dominate the narrative, focusing on the challenges and risks associated with their spy work. Instead, the story predominantly narrates the cycle of enslavement, brief freedom, and re-enslavement experienced by Ady and Sanite, culminating in Ady's new life with Lenore, including the development of their romantic relationship, with only a fleeting glimpse into The Daughters' activities. Regardless of the book not being what I expected, I still loved it. It had one of the most unique narrative devices that I've encountered in the epilogue that made me contemplate memory, history, and storytelling.

This was another book that was a little outside what I read, but probably a little more traditional for Black History Month.

I don't read much set before the 20th century and typically nothing set in the Civil War era. But as this book is about a slave girl who joins the spy ring known as the American Daughters, I thought it could be interesting and shed light on something I didn't know about history.

A diary by the slave girl Ady is found and her life story is published. What we are reading is that story.

Ady is about seven when she and her mother are sold to a plantation owner who keeps a house in the city as well. This townhouse is where they are based. While there are plenty of reminders that they are enslaved, it did they enjoyed some freedoms being the city that they wouldn't have on a plantation.

The author likes to use the term "slave labor camp also known as a plantation". While being an awkwardly long term, I questioned whether it was an insertion of today's views on the past. Did anyone in the 1800s call plantations slave labor camps? While it is true, it didn't feel historically accurate, and every time I read it I was taken out of the story. It probably wouldn't have been a problem if they author had used is more sparingly. And I think it is one of the reasons I enjoyed the later part of the novel - it wasn't used every time a plantation was mentioned. I think those reading a book like this would understand that plantations were slave labor camps and it just felt very heavy handed to be used so often in the beginning.

My only other complaint was the ending. I don't think the chapter set in the future at a conference discussing the book was necessary. I enjoyed Ady's coming-of-age story and wish the book had ended with her story.

I had some trouble getting into the novel (partly because of the fore mentioned term), but by the time Ady meets Lenore, I'm sucked into the story.

I call this a coming-of-age story because it really is more about Ady. The American Daughters play a small part in the overall story. It was not a Civil War-era spy novel. There are so few details about the American Daughters I'm not sure if they were a real group or just something Rufin made up. I have no doubt that slaves played a part in spying on the Confederacy. So I just wonder if the American Daughters was a real group or a stand-in for what truly existed.

I did learn a little about New Orleans's history. I didn't realize that there was a thriving free black economy.

The American Daughters is an interesting and entertaining novel. It would make a great book for a book club discussion.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/02/two-different-books-to-read-for-black.html

While I like some historical fiction, it’s not one of my favorite genres, and I had a really hard time getting into this story. It seems like a lot of people like that so I’m probably just not the right reader.

What I was expecting from the book is something I didn’t get I thought it was mainly going to be her meeting the two girls but it seems that is left for the last few chapters not to mention most of the book the way it is written seems unbelievable I did feel for Addie coming to grips with what her mother had to do with their owner while living in the French quarter. Had I known it was a story of growing up or a coming-of-age type story I would’ve gave it a pass. I was really looking forward to this book but sadly didn’t find much enjoyed about it not that one can enjoy a book about such horrible happenings but I’m sure you get my meaning. I want to thank Random House Annette galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for sharing this ARC. I loved this book. It’s a well-written historical fiction novel, set in pre Civil War New Orleans, centered on the life of one slave. And I enjoyed it at that level, the plot carrying me along. But the ending of the book took it to a different level, one I’m still mulling over. But I liked it a lot. Highly recommended for historical fiction fans.

There were so many aspects of this novel I really enjoyed. As a reader of a lot of historical fiction, I love when stories have things that separate them from the norm. The Daughters' actions did this for me. I loved all the references to their work to spite the confederacy, and even the conversations about who to trust and who not to trust. What I didn't love about this story was the speed at which it progressed. I think I had a different expectation; one in which the bulk of the story is spent on the Daughters. It really focused so much on Ady's childhood and I felt it was more a character-driven novel than a plot-driven novel (the latter of which I enjoy more). Overall, I would definitely recommend this to those that enjoy historical fiction, as well as those that enjoy deep character development within a story.

I do not say this lightly. Five stars. A story within a story. Seamless writing and hardly any fat. This could have been a more painful read but Ruffin does a great and intentional job of not being gratuitous. I was on the edge of my seat in some scenes and had to fight the urge to skip to the end. I am usually "eh" on epilogues but this one gagged me a little.
So yes, five stars. Definitely recommend.

This book was really interesting. It was obvious from the beginning that we were looking back at past events. Clues to the future were scattered throughout in the form of different texts. But the epilogue is what actually grounds this story and brings everything together. It’s a coming of age story about a young enslaved girl and the circumstances that she grew up in. It also highlights the work of those working behind the scenes to dismantle chattel slavery in the US. More of a character than plot driven story, I found myself really intrigued by the main character, Ady. I liked this book. The formating and the pacing weren’t great to me but I still found myself intrigued throughout.

This book needs a different title and a different description. I thought I was getting a story of a sisterhood of Black women, both freed and enslaved, who worked to weaken the Confederacy. Instead, I got a coming-of-age story about a young enslaved Black girl, Ady, with the barest hint of the spy ring coming in midway through the novel and not nearly enough time spent on spying and subversion. I don't know if I would have enjoyed the book more had it been titled and marketed differently, but I probably wouldn't have requested an ARC. I struggled to connect to Ady as a character and I felt like the first half of the story especially was a slog. I did end up enjoying the second half more, but I might never have made it that far if I didn't have a personal rule against DNFing ARCs. An interesting premise to be sure, but not the right execution for this particular reader. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group (Random House, One World) for a digital review copy.

Existence, survival and resistance. Ruffin expertly depicts struggle, family, hatred and naivety. For readers of historical fiction, American fiction, women's fiction, and the Civil War.

The epilogue bumped my rating from a 3 to a 4. It's hard to explain without giving anything away...I wish that the ideas about history/memory/story had been woven more clearly throughout the book. Perhaps they were and I missed it. That said, I read this book in just a few days because the story was often compelling, if sometimes difficult to take (as any book related to enslavement will be). This book was not what I was expecting. I can't say that I was pleasantly surprised, but if you're at all curious about it, I think it's worth your time to read it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and The American Daughters did not disappoint. This would be a great read for book clubs!

This story follows Ady, a young girl enslaved with her mother. When we meet them, they’re being sold at the auction to work at a slave labor camp also called plantations ( I love the recurring distinction). Eventually, they escape and we witness them live unofficially free for awhile. That is until a group of slave catchers hired by their previous slaver finds them and captures Sanite, Ady’s mom. Ady was told to run, but she disobeys her mom and tracks her down which results in her being enslaved again. She’s just happy to be back with her mom.

After her mom dies, Ady becomes friends with a group of Black women who hint that they’re involved in dangerous activities. We later find out they’re spies apart of an organization called The Daughters. They gather intelligence, deceive, and sabotage plans in order to help dismantle the efforts of the confederate army.

While I appreciate that this story highlights Black women spies who actively assisted the Union military, I’m disappointed with the timing that we learn about the spy cell. It’s not until around 60% in that we’re told about The Daughters. Even after they’re officially introduced, the details and actions of the group weren’t explored as much as I had hoped.

Based on the description, I was expecting more of the story to be about the adversity, action, and danger of their spy work, but that’s not how the story plays out. Instead, it’s Ady and Sanite enslaved, free, enslaved again, Sanite dies, Ady meets Lenore, starts working at her inn, we get a bit of content about The Daughters, and we see Ady and Lenore’s romantic relationship blossom.

I like the idea of the story more than the execution because the title and book description hints to The American Daughters being a focal point of the story, but it’s not. I feel mislead.

Thank you to NetGalley and One World for the advanced eARC.