"Life emerges sharp and clear in its outlines, forceful and blunt in its impact, and is as real as good rich black earth, and as free of superficialities." — Ralph Ellison

A forerunner of family history legacies such as Alex Haley's Roots, this lost classic of African American literature traces the lives and struggles of four generations, from Martha, a freed slave turned housemaid, to her great-grandson Jimmy, an athlete who dreams of becoming a teacher and improving the lives of others.

"A fine and important book, dramatic and exciting." — Edna Ferber

"The most striking quality in These Low Grounds is the remarkable and just and fair balance." — The New York Times

"[Turpin] treats his characters as people, hating, loving, striving, facing disillusionment, rather than looking at them as a race apart, stage props, plantation incongruities in a modern civilization . . . . It is a good story, convincingly told." — Kirkus Reviews