About this ebook
A New York Times Notable Book: A novel spanning two decades in the lives of an African American family as their upstate New York steel town slowly decays.
Set just outside Buffalo, New York, during the 1960s and ’70s, All-Bright Court paints a portrait of the Taylor family—starting with hopeful dreams as Samuel Taylor and his wife, Mary Kate, migrate from the South looking for better opportunities and a place to raise a family, and continuing through the decline of the steel industry as they, their five children, and their neighbors on All-Bright Court struggle with both new challenges and old prejudices.
“In a clear, quiet but powerful prose reminiscent of Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, the author draws the gaudily painted, rundown bungalows of All-Bright Court and peoples it convincingly. . . . The working conditions in the steel mills and the politics of the union hall are well rendered, but it is in the details of family life that the novel comes alive.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Porter has mapped a rich fictional world. . . . This is a powerful and affecting debut.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“An honest portrayal of folks who learned that the dream of economic freedom wasn’t waiting for them ‘up north.’” —Terry McMillan, New York Times–bestselling author of I Almost Forgot About You
Set just outside Buffalo, New York, during the 1960s and ’70s, All-Bright Court paints a portrait of the Taylor family—starting with hopeful dreams as Samuel Taylor and his wife, Mary Kate, migrate from the South looking for better opportunities and a place to raise a family, and continuing through the decline of the steel industry as they, their five children, and their neighbors on All-Bright Court struggle with both new challenges and old prejudices.
“In a clear, quiet but powerful prose reminiscent of Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, the author draws the gaudily painted, rundown bungalows of All-Bright Court and peoples it convincingly. . . . The working conditions in the steel mills and the politics of the union hall are well rendered, but it is in the details of family life that the novel comes alive.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Porter has mapped a rich fictional world. . . . This is a powerful and affecting debut.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“An honest portrayal of folks who learned that the dream of economic freedom wasn’t waiting for them ‘up north.’” —Terry McMillan, New York Times–bestselling author of I Almost Forgot About You
Ratings and reviews
4.0
2 reviews
About the author
Connie R. Porter is the author of All-Bright Court, Imani All Mine, and the Addy books in the Pleasant Company's American Girls series, which has sold more than three million copies. Porter was a fellow at Bread Loaf and was named a regional winner in Granta's Best Young American Novelist contest.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
