Some Soul to Keep
1987
First Published
4.52
Average Rating
211
Number of Pages
J. California Cooper writes with a transparent clarity and such exuberant energy that her characters leap off the page, bursting with stories they've got to tell—stories of simple people, stories of families and fate, of love and marriage, of death and the triumph of the human spirit.
Avg Rating
4.52
Number of Ratings
1,768
5 STARS
64%
4 STARS
27%
3 STARS
8%
2 STARS
1%
1 STARS
1%
goodreads
Author
J. California Cooper
Author · 14 books
J. California Cooper first found acclaim as a playwright. The author of seventeen plays, she was named Black Playwright of the Year in 1978. It was through her work in the theater that she caught the attention of acclaimed poet and novelist Alice Walker. Encouraged by Walker to turn her popular storytelling skills to fiction, Cooper wrote her first collection of short stories, A Piece of Mine, in 1984. Called "rich in wisdom and insight" and "a book that's worth reading," A Piece of Mine introduced Cooper's trademark style: her intimate and energetic narration, sympathetic yet sometimes troubled characters, and the profound moral messages that underlie seemingly simple stories. Two more story collections followed on the heels of A Piece of Mine. In 1986 came Homemade Love, winner of an American Book Award, and, in 1987, Some Soul to Keep.
