Do you love stories that span generations, explore the power of art, and celebrate the resilience of Black women? If so, you might want to read Memphis, a novel by Tara M. Stringfellow.

Memphis is a spellbinding debut that traces the lives of three generations of a Southern Black family, from the 1940s to the 1990s. The story begins with Joan, a ten-year-old girl who flees her abusive father with her mother and sister and seeks refuge at her grandmother's ancestral home in Memphis. There, she discovers a legacy of secrets, curses, and sacrifices that have shaped her family's history.

Joan's grandfather was the first Black detective in Memphis, but he was lynched days after building his dream house in the historic Douglass neighborhood. Joan's grandmother Hazel survived the trauma and raised her daughter Ella with fierce love and determination. Ella became a successful lawyer, but she also faced violence and betrayal in her marriage. Joan, who inherited her grandfather's artistic talent, finds solace in painting portraits of the people and places in Memphis. She also learns from her mysterious neighbor Miss Dawn, who claims to know something about curses and how to break them.

As Joan grows up, she realizes that she has the power to change her family's destiny and heal the wounds of the past. She also understands that her mother, her grandmother, and the mothers before them persevered, made impossible choices, and put their dreams on hold so that her life would not have to be defined by loss and anger.

Memphis is a rhapsodic hymn to Black women and their strength, courage, and creativity. It is also a vivid portrait of a city and a country that have witnessed both brutality and justice, oppression and liberation, despair and hope. Tara M. Stringfellow draws on her own family's experiences and extensive research to craft a captivating story that will move you to tears and inspire you to celebrate your own heritage.