70 pages • 2 hours read
The Darkest Child
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Book Brief
400
Novel • Fiction
Georgia • 1950s
2004
YA
18+ years
Super Short Summary
The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips follows 13-year-old Tangy Mae Quinn as she navigates the harsh realities of racism, domestic abuse, poverty, and exploitation in the Jim Crow South, ultimately finding hope through education and her eventual escape from her abusive mother. The novel addresses intense themes such as physical and sexual abuse, child sex trafficking, lynching, infanticide, and segregation.
Dark
Gritty
Melancholic
Challenging
Unnerving
Reviews & Readership
20,737 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips garners high praise for its powerful storytelling and complex characters, vividly depicting racial and familial struggles. Phillips' poignant prose is widely appreciated, though some critique it for its harrowing and relentless grimness. Overall, it’s recognized as a compelling, though emotionally challenging, narrative.
Who Should Read The Darkest Child?
Readers who appreciate deeply emotional, historical novels will enjoy The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips. With themes reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, it captures the struggles of African American life in the 1950s South, focusing on family dynamics, resilience, and personal growth.
20,737 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
400
Novel • Fiction
Georgia • 1950s
2004
YA
18+ years
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