Cover of Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo

Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo

Ntozake Shange's beloved Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigois the story of three sisters and their mother from Charleston, South Carolina. Sassafrass, the oldest, is a poet and a weaver like her mother before her. Having gone north to college, she is now living with other artists in Los Angeles and trying to weave a life out of her work, her man, her memories and dreams. Cypress, the dancer, leaves home to find new ways of moving in the world. Indigo, the youngest, is still a child of Charleston-"too much of the south in her"-who lives in poetry and has the supreme gift of seeing the obvious magic of the world. Shange's rich and wondrous story of womanhood, art, and passionately-lived lives is written "with such exquisite care and beauty that anybody can relate to her message" (The New York Times).

Genre
historical fictioncoming of ageliterary fictionmagical realism
Themes
african americanfeminismwomenracediversity
Setting
1970scharlestonsouth carolinaUSAamerican south
Mood
quirky
Audience
adult
Length
medium · 224 pages
Form
poetry

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