An Eighth of August (PB) (2002)

From the author of the highly acclaimed Only Twice I've Wished for Heaven, a new novel about the strong ties and haunting memories that bind family and friends in a small town.
Narrated by a chorus of voices, An Eighth of August tells the story of a Midwestern community that celebrates the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation year after year. Celebrants from come near and far to pay tribute to the rich heritage of the former slaves who settled the Illinois town. But along with the festivities come painful memories and long-buried resentments, and while this year's celebration is no different, it will offer up its own particular brand of freedom to one extended family and the wonderfully eccentric white woman whose life becomes entwined with their own. Wavering between the devastating and the uplifting, An Eighth of August is ultimately an enduring and exuberant novel.