Louise Meriwether

Daddy Was a Number Runner -- Louise Meriwether, Paperback

$16.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
163 in stock, ready to ship

This modern classic is "a tough, tender, bitter novel of a black girl struggling towards womanhood" in 1930s Harlem--with a foreword by James Baldwin (Publishers Weekly).

Depression-era Harlem is home for twelve-year-old Francie Coffin and her family, and it's both a place of refuge and the source of untold dangers for her and her poor, working class family. The beloved "daddy" of the title indeed becomes a number runner when he is unable to find legal work, and while one of Francie's brothers dreams of becoming a chemist, the other is already in a gang. Francie is a dreamer, too, but there are risks in everything from going to the movies to walking down the block, and her pragmatism eventually outweighs her hope; "We was all poor and black and apt to stay that way, and that was that."

First published in 1970, Daddy Was a Number Runner is one of the seminal novels of the black experience in America. The New York Times Book Review proclaimed it "a most important novel."



Author: Louise Meriwether
Publisher: Feminist Press
Published: 12/01/2002
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781558614420

Product Tags:

African American & Black, American, Contemporary Classics by Women, Ethnic Studies, Feminist Press, Fiction, Fiction - General, Historical, Literary Criticism, Louise Meriwether, Paperback, Social Science, Teenage girls, Women Authors

Find your next favorite

Welcome to Book & Mortar

Explore our extensive collection of contemporary and classic books. From the latest bestsellers to hidden gems, we have something for every book lover. Dive into the world of literature with our curated selection, and let your reading adventure begin.

Contact form

Fill this out if you need to get in touch with me!