Black April

"Black April" by Julia Peterkin is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story intricately weaves the lives of Black characters on Sandy Island, focusing on themes of family, tradition, and the complexities of rural life in the South. The opening introduces us to Breeze, an elderly black man anxious about the childbirth of his daughter amid deep fears and superstition, setting the tone for a narrative steeped in folklore and genuine emotion. The beginning of "Black April" reveals Breeze's anxiety as his daughter struggles in childbirth, highlighting the generational dynamics between him and the elder midwife, Granny. Breeze reflects on the family history and the potential ramifications of his daughter’s situation, including concerns about the father of her child. As he searches for help, calling upon Maum Hannah, a midwife known for her special "birthin’ beads," the narrative delves into themes of maternal struggle and local beliefs surrounding childbirth. The vivid descriptions of the natural environment around Sandy Island enhance the emotional landscape, connecting the characters' fates to the rhythms of the earth and the passage of seasons. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Julia Peterkin was an American author from South Carolina. In 1929 she won the Pulitzer Prize for Novel/Literature for her novel Scarlet Sister Mary. She wrote several novels about the plantation South, especially the Gullah people of the Lowcountry. She was one of the few white authors who wrote about the African-American experience.