The chosen place is Bourneville, a remote, devastated part of a Caribbean island; the timeless people are its inhabitants -- black, poor, inextricably linked to their past enslavement.  When the advance team for an ambitious American research project arrives, the tense, ambivalent relationships that evolve -- between natives and foreigners, black and whites, haves and have-nots -- keenly dramatize the vicissitudes of power.  


"An important and moving book...Marshall is as wise as she is bold, for in compromising neither her politics nor her understanding of people, she makes better sense of both." -Village Voice
Paule Marshall is the author of Brown Girl, Brownstones, The Chosen Place, The Timeless People, Praisesong for the Widow, Soul Clap Hands and Sing, Reena and Other Stories, and Daughters. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she is now Professor of English at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. View titles by Paule Marshall

About

The chosen place is Bourneville, a remote, devastated part of a Caribbean island; the timeless people are its inhabitants -- black, poor, inextricably linked to their past enslavement.  When the advance team for an ambitious American research project arrives, the tense, ambivalent relationships that evolve -- between natives and foreigners, black and whites, haves and have-nots -- keenly dramatize the vicissitudes of power.  


"An important and moving book...Marshall is as wise as she is bold, for in compromising neither her politics nor her understanding of people, she makes better sense of both." -Village Voice

Author

Paule Marshall is the author of Brown Girl, Brownstones, The Chosen Place, The Timeless People, Praisesong for the Widow, Soul Clap Hands and Sing, Reena and Other Stories, and Daughters. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she is now Professor of English at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. View titles by Paule Marshall

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In celebration of James Baldwin, the literary legend and civil rights champion, and the centennial of his birth, we are sharing a collection of his work.   James Baldwin (1924–1987) was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his essay collections Notes

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The New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

The New York Times recently published their list “100 Best Books of the 21st Century.” We are pleased to announce that there are 49 titles published from Penguin Random House and its distribution clients included in this list. Browse our collection of Penguin Random House titles here. Browse the full list from The New York

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