"The Seven Daughters of Dupree" | Reviewed by Susan Ferguson

“The Seven Daughters of Dupree,” by Nikesha Elise Williams, is a multigenerational story that focuses on the lives of generations of women who share the Dupree name.  As layers of their family history are slowly revealed readers learn that their pasts were full of pain, love and sacrifice.

The historical revelations of the story begin in 1995 when 14-year-old Tati begins uncovering the identity of her father, even though her mother Nadia has ignored all of Tati’s previous requests for information. Even Tati’s grandmother Gladys is silent about the family’s past and about the reasons why she left Land’s End, Alabama, for Chicago in 1953. Unfettered by their secrecy, Tati continues to dig, uncovering a legacy of family secrets.

The story continues with readers sifting through multiple timelines and character introductions. Eventually Tati, and even Nadia, learn from Gladys that their history begins when an enslaved and unnamed ancestor is captured, enslaved and impregnated by her owner Zephaniah Foster Dupree. Their ancestor tries to run away from the plantation but is unsuccessful. The woman is then tortured and killed after giving birth to a daughter.

The daughter, Emma, is raised by another slave, Evangeline, who stays on the plantation until Z. Foster Dupree’s death. Upon his death, Evangeline learns that he has willed all of his worldly possessions to Evangeline and his illegitimate daughter Emma.

The Dupree women, now the owners of the land, continue their legacy in Land’s End. Multiple generations of Dupree women continue as Emma births Jubilee, who births Ruby, who births Gladys. Each of these women has their own story to tell of struggle and sacrifice.

When Gladys marries Eugene, they move to Chicago where Gladys continues the Dupree women lineage with the birth of Nadia who brings readers full circle with her daughter Tati. A series of events exposes secrets that eventually lead to a return to the family property in Land’s end.

“The Seven Daughters of Dupree,” is a story that celebrates Black women; their strength, their resilience and their survival. Although the shifts in time and numerous character introductions made the beginning of the book a bit confusing, the subsequent chapters clarify, offering readers a clear picture of the pain, love and sacrifices these women endured. The author does an excellent job of storytelling, weaving generations of trauma into an intriguing tale with a satisfying conclusion. 

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