Plus, receive recommendations and exclusive offers on all of your favorite books and authors from Simon & Schuster.
0:00 /
Table of Contents
Listen To An Excerpt
0:00 /
About The Book
From the two-time Emmy Award–winning producer and host of the Black and Published podcast comes a sweeping multi-generational epic following seven generations of Dupree women as they navigate love, loss, and the unyielding ties of family in the tradition of Homegoing and The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois.
It’s 1995, and fourteen-year-old Tati is determined to uncover the identity of her father. But her mother, Nadia, keeps her secrets close, while her grandmother Gladys remains silent about the family’s past, including why she left Land’s End, Alabama, in 1953. As Tati digs deeper, she uncovers a legacy of family secrets, where every generation of Dupree women has posed more questions than answers.
From Jubi in 1917, whose attempt to pass for white ends when she gives birth to Ruby; to Ruby’s fiery lust for Sampson in 1934 that leads to a baby of her own; to the night in 1980 that changed Nadia’s future forever, the Dupree women carry the weight of their heritage. Bound by a mysterious malediction that means they will only give birth to daughters, the Dupree women confront a legacy of pain, resilience, and survival that began with an enslaved ancestor who risked everything for freedom.
The Seven Daughters of Dupree masterfully weaves together themes of generational trauma, Black women’s resilience, and unbreakable familial bonds. Echoing the literary power of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis, Nikesha Elise Williams delivers a feminist literary fiction that explores the ripple effects of actions, secrets, and love through seven generations of Black women.
It’s 1995, and fourteen-year-old Tati is determined to uncover the identity of her father. But her mother, Nadia, keeps her secrets close, while her grandmother Gladys remains silent about the family’s past, including why she left Land’s End, Alabama, in 1953. As Tati digs deeper, she uncovers a legacy of family secrets, where every generation of Dupree women has posed more questions than answers.
From Jubi in 1917, whose attempt to pass for white ends when she gives birth to Ruby; to Ruby’s fiery lust for Sampson in 1934 that leads to a baby of her own; to the night in 1980 that changed Nadia’s future forever, the Dupree women carry the weight of their heritage. Bound by a mysterious malediction that means they will only give birth to daughters, the Dupree women confront a legacy of pain, resilience, and survival that began with an enslaved ancestor who risked everything for freedom.
The Seven Daughters of Dupree masterfully weaves together themes of generational trauma, Black women’s resilience, and unbreakable familial bonds. Echoing the literary power of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis, Nikesha Elise Williams delivers a feminist literary fiction that explores the ripple effects of actions, secrets, and love through seven generations of Black women.
Reading Group Guide
Get a FREE audiobook by joining our mailing list today! Plus, receive recommendations for your next Book Club read.
By clicking 'Sign me up', I consent to Simon & Schuster sending me email offers and updates, including offers for a free eBook. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time. Any offer for an eBook may be subject to exclusions, terms, conditions, and registration with our fulfillment partners. We collect and use your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Free ebook offer available to NEW CA subscribers only. Offer redeemable at Simon & Schuster's ebook fulfillment partner. Must redeem within 90 days. See the full terms and conditions.
1. In this novel, we meet seven generations in a family of women bound by a shared history of passing down family secrets. How does this legacy of secrets impact each generation?
2. Ancestors are important and respected in the Dupree lineage. Why do you think this is?
3. Who is your favorite daughter and what are some of the traits you appreciate in her?
4. Who is the most misunderstood daughter and why do you think this is?
5. Is there a legend in your family, like the birthing curse the Dupree family struggles with, that you still don’t have an answer for?
6. Hairstyling practices play a huge role in the lives of all the Dupree women. What is your relationship to your hair and styling practices? Has this changed throughout your life?
7. Do you feel any kinship with a place where you have never lived? Why do you think this is?
8. The book explores how trauma is dealt with and passed down from generation to generation. Do you believe each daughter in the matrilineal line of Dupree women tried to do better in dealing with this trauma once she herself became a mother?
9. At the end of the novel, Tati is writing a book in verse to preserve her family history. Is there someone in your own family who knows the family ancestry, lineage, and history, or is keeper of family stories and secrets?
10. How did the violent legacy of slavery hurt the Dupree women? How did knowing most of their origin story in the United States bolster the Dupree family, from Emma to Sa'rah?
11. In the epilogue, Nadia is cooking from Gladys’s recipes, which Evangeline first made for Sa’rah on the Dupree plantation and later used as an ancestral offering. Are there any special dishes that have been passed down in your family from generation to generation that are similar to the Dupree’s foodways?
12. When Tati and Nadia move to Land’s End, Nadia rents her house in Chicago even though her daughter and partner sell their homes. Why do you think Nadia chose to hold on to her house?
2. Ancestors are important and respected in the Dupree lineage. Why do you think this is?
3. Who is your favorite daughter and what are some of the traits you appreciate in her?
4. Who is the most misunderstood daughter and why do you think this is?
5. Is there a legend in your family, like the birthing curse the Dupree family struggles with, that you still don’t have an answer for?
6. Hairstyling practices play a huge role in the lives of all the Dupree women. What is your relationship to your hair and styling practices? Has this changed throughout your life?
7. Do you feel any kinship with a place where you have never lived? Why do you think this is?
8. The book explores how trauma is dealt with and passed down from generation to generation. Do you believe each daughter in the matrilineal line of Dupree women tried to do better in dealing with this trauma once she herself became a mother?
9. At the end of the novel, Tati is writing a book in verse to preserve her family history. Is there someone in your own family who knows the family ancestry, lineage, and history, or is keeper of family stories and secrets?
10. How did the violent legacy of slavery hurt the Dupree women? How did knowing most of their origin story in the United States bolster the Dupree family, from Emma to Sa'rah?
11. In the epilogue, Nadia is cooking from Gladys’s recipes, which Evangeline first made for Sa’rah on the Dupree plantation and later used as an ancestral offering. Are there any special dishes that have been passed down in your family from generation to generation that are similar to the Dupree’s foodways?
12. When Tati and Nadia move to Land’s End, Nadia rents her house in Chicago even though her daughter and partner sell their homes. Why do you think Nadia chose to hold on to her house?
About The Author
Blue Franswa
Nikesha Elise Williams is a two-time Emmy Award–winning producer, an award-winning author, and producer and host of the Black and Published podcast. A narrative strategist by day and journalist always, her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Essence, and Vox. Nikesha is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and a DeGroot Foundation Writer of Note grantee. A Chicago native, she lives in Florida with her family.
About The Reader
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (January 27, 2026)
- Runtime: 11 hours and 7 minutes
- ISBN13: 9781668117651
Browse Related Books
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
-
Book Cover Image (jpg): The Seven Daughters of Dupree
Unabridged Audio Download 9781668117651
-
Author Photo (jpg): Nikesha Elise Williams Blue Franswa(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
