Sisters of Gavinville - John Warner Smith

Through the saga of the journey of Jesse and Ella Hayes and their seven daughters, an African American family living in a small fisheries town in Southeast Louisiana, Sisters of Gavinville chronicles the civil rights struggles of all African Americans in the second half of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st.

Aside from their rise from poverty to wealth and political power, and their gifted intellect and uncommonly strong will, what is most unusual about "the Aunties," as the sisters eventually become known to the people of Gavinville, is their longevity. With the exception of one of them, who tragically dies at a young age, all of the sisters live at least 99 years. In the end, a dark family secret and personal resentments that have been harbored and hidden for decades threaten the family honor and legacy.

Sisters casts an entertaining yet illuminating and deeply thought-provoking light on the experiences of race, womanhood, human vulnerability, and spiritual reconciliation.