A TOP TEN NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICKONE OF BARACK OBAMA¿S FAVOURITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR¿Astonishing¿ A great work infused with love and honesty¿ Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple¿Deeply moving¿ it is magnificent¿ Sarah Winman, author of Still Life¿A remarkable work¿ Afua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish)¿Epic¿ It just consumed me'' Oprah Winfrey, Oprah Book Club¿The kind of book that comes around only once a decade'' Washington PostA breath-taking debut novel that chronicles the journey of generations of one American family, from the centuries of the colonial slave trade to our own tumultuous eraThe great scholar, W.E.B. Du Bois, once wrote about the Problem of race in America, and what he called ¿Double Consciousness,¿ a sensitivity that every African American possesses in order to survive. Since childhood, Ailey Pearl Garfield has understood Du Bois''s words all too well.From an early age, Ailey fights a battle to feel like she belongs, made all the more difficul