Quakertown — Lee Martin

In Quakertown, Lee Martin travels back in time to 1920s Texas to tell the story of a flourishing black community that was segregated from its white brethren -- and of the remarkable gardener who was asked to do the unimaginable.

Based on the true story of a shameful episode in north Texas history, Quakertown draws on the rich texture of the South -- the Pecan Creek running along the edges of Quakertown, the remarkable and rare white lilac, and the rising tensions marking each nod and greeting. With strength and a deep wisdom of heart, Martin carves out the delicate story of two families -- one white and one black -- and the child whose birth brought a gift of forgiveness.


Suffused with Martin's deep compassion and profound humanity, Quakertown is an unforgettable novel from a master of American prose.