"The brain don't know it gets old," laments ninety-four-year-old Sarny at the start of Sarny. She remembers herself as a young woman who had learned to read and write while still a slave, and she remembers how she lived in the days right after the end of slavery in America. Her novel is not only narrated by her but is mostly about her. As her reminiscences progress, she matures, gains an ever better understanding of the world, and manages to survive in a society that remains tilted against her, even though she is a free woman.

Her growth is bought with pain and love, as well as a burning hatred for those who have oppressed her. One thing she and Lucy are determined about is to tolerate no more abuse at the hands of white masters.

One thing Sarny painfully learns after her second...