Stand the Storm » (Library ed.)

Breena Clarke grew up in Washington, DC, and was educated at Webster College and Howard University. Her one previous novel, RIVER, CROSS MY HEART, was a selection of Oprah's Book Club and became an international bestseller.

Richard Allen is professor and chair of cinema studies at New York University. He is the author of numerous essays on Hitchcock, coeditor of two anthologies, "Alfred Hitchcock: Centenary Essays" and "Hitchcock: Past and Future," and with Sidney Gottlieb he edits the "Hitchcock Annual" for Wallflower Press.

Even though Sewing Annie Coats and her son, Gabriel, have managed to buy their freedom, their lives are still plagued by constant struggle and sacrifice, in this novel marked by love and tragedy.

The Washington Post - Gail Buckley

I loved this book. I loved these people: The Coats family of Stand the Storm are quasi-free Negroes living in Georgetown just before, during and after the Civil War. Breena Clarke has written another stirring work of historical fiction that weaves the passionate, dramatic and uplifting story of the African American aspiration for true freedom into the great American tapestry.