The Street by Ann Petry

The Street by Ann Petry

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION FROM NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR TAYARI JONES

"How can a novel's social criticism be so unflinching and clear, yet its plot moves like a house on fire? I am tempted to describe Petry as a magician for the many ways that The Street amazes, but this description cheapens her talent... Petry is a gifted artist." -- Tayari Jones, from the Introduction

The Street follows the spirited Lutie Johnson, a newly single mother whose efforts to claim a share of the American Dream for herself and her young son meet frustration at every turn in 1940s Harlem. Opening a fresh perspective on the realities and challenges of black, female, working-class life, this classic American novel became the first novel by an African American woman to sell more than a million copies.

Ann Petry was the critically praised author of The Street, a ground-breaking literary masterpiece on life in Harlem that has sold over a million copies. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad, the narrative of the bold and heroic lady who suffered and battled for her people before and during the Civil War, was one of her many works for young readers.