The Darkest Child

By Delores Phillips,

Book cover of The Darkest Child

Book description

Pakersfield, Georgia, 1958: Thirteen-year-old Tangy Mae Quinn is the sixth of ten fatherless siblings. She is the darkest-skinned among them and therefore the ugliest in her mother, Rozelle’s, estimation, but she’s also the brightest. Rozelle—beautiful, charismatic, and light-skinned—exercises a violent hold over her children. Fearing abandonment, she pulls them from…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked The Darkest Child as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Set in Georgia in 1958, Tang Mae is the darkest of ten fatherless children and considered by her mother the ugliest. However, she is selected to attend a white school because she is gifted. This gives her an opportunity to change her life, but she must first break free from her mother's grasp.

There were many times I wanted to put this book down and not finish it. The brutality and abuse were hard to bear. And yet, I felt compelled to read the entire thing because I wanted to see Tang Mae succeed.

It inspired me that she never…

This novel takes place in Pakersfield, Georgia, 1958. The darkest child is Tangy Mae Quinn who is the sixth of ten fatherless siblings. She is the darkest-skinned among them and considered the ugliest by her mother, who is light-skinned, but she is the brightest and has been selected to be part of the first integrated class at a nearby White high school.

From Dangerous' list on to understand the problem with colorism.

If you love The Darkest Child...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest By Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Want books like The Darkest Child?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 90 books like The Darkest Child.

Browse books like The Darkest Child

Book cover of The Girl with the Louding Voice
Book cover of The Yellow Wife
Book cover of Seven Days in June

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,606

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Darkest Child, you might also like...

Book cover of The Emerald Necklace

The Emerald Necklace By Linda Rosen,

It’s 1969. Women are fighting for equality. Rosalee, an insecure sculptor, and Fran, a best-selling novelist, have their issues. Will their bitter envy of each other and long-held secrets destroy their tenuous friendship? Or will Jill, Rosalee’s granddaughter, and the story behind her emerald necklace bind them together?

A multi-generational…

Book cover of At What Cost, Silence?

At What Cost, Silence? By Karen Lynne Klink,

Secrets, misunderstandings, and a plethora of family conflicts abound in this historical novel set along the Brazos River in antebellum Washington County, East Texas.

It is a compelling story of two neighboring plantation families and a few of the enslaved people who serve them. These two plantations are a microcosm…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Georgia (USA), single mothers, and bildungsroman?

Georgia (USA) 99 books
Single Mothers 57 books
Bildungsroman 330 books