An Exploration of Friendship, Race, and Community.
About this Event
From the author of Queen Sugar, a piercing examination of friendship and loyalty as two best friends find themselves at odds over their beliefs on race, identity and allyship, especially when it comes to their teenage children
Babs and Nora became friends thanks to their kids. Now, the desire to protect their children might tear them apart.
Babs and Nora have spent a decade’s worth of morning walks sharing family secrets, local drama, and advice—everything from tips on lingerie choices to Babs’s suggestions to Nora, a white woman, on how to raise Nathan, her adopted Black son.
But their worlds are turned upside down when the cops are called on their kids while they’re home alone, leading to a traumatic police encounter for Nathan. In the aftermath, Babs and Nora find themselves divided as never before, and Nathan looks for refuge with Babs and her family, where, unlike in his own home, race, identity, and culture are always up for discussion. Babs can see that Nathan is a young Black man without community trying to find himself. Torn between respecting Nora’s boundaries and embodying the values so important to her own family, Babs will make a choice that will shape their lives forever.
Set in a tight-knit enclave in the Bay Area, Friends and Family is an eye-opening exploration of friendship and privilege, race and community, and what it means to truly be a good friend and ally.
Natalie will be in conversation with local New Orleans author Maurice Carlos Ruffin.
Natalie Baszile is an author and filmmaker. Her new novel, Friends and Family, comes out on October 6th. Natalie's previous novel, Queen Sugar, was adapted for seven television seasons by writer/ director Ava DuVernay and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey. Natalie's non-fiction work includes the book We Are Each Other's Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy. Her documentary film, HARVEST, just premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. A native Californian, Natalie's southern roots stem from Louisiana. She lives in the Bay Area.
Maurice Carlos Ruffin, a Guggenheim Fellow, is the author of National Bestseller, The American Daughters, as well as The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You, a One Book One New Orleans selection, which was longlisted for the Story Prize. His debut, We Cast a Shadow, was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. All three books were New York Times Editor’s Choice selections. Ruffin is the winner of the Iowa Review Award in fiction and the Louisiana Writer Award. Ruffin is an associate professor of Creative Writing at Louisiana State University.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 8.34 to USD 35.64
