The silence of a spiritual community is shattered by the murder of one of their own.
Jordan and Rahman Gaffney-Bruce, newly married men, move into the eccentric Washington neighborhood known as Slope to start building a life together. Built precariously on a hill, Slope is home to descendants of the Great Migration and is now a lower middle class Black community trapped in a cycle of spiritual depression.
In the midst of this community, the Gaffney Bruces gather with the other residents every Sunday in quiet prayer and contemplation, in hopes that their collective dreams will be realized: To be seen. To be known. To thrive—on their own terms.
Alongside them is Pops, the quiet old man who has seen it all; Miss Sandra, the matriarch and maven of Sunday dinners; Royce, one of the few good cops left; and the Gang of Four—soft-spoken Peek, angry Korey, flamboyant Ziggy, and Gino, the natural leader.
When one of the youths is felled by gun violence, generations-old secrets threaten to unravel the serenity of this peculiar community.
A Peculiar Legacy:
A Novel by Rashid Darden
"Rashid Darden excels at crafting richly layered characters with unwavering resilience. Authentic dialogue skillfully captures the heart of a Washington, D.C. community striving to survive and flourish amid constant adversity. The voices in Slope feel intimately familiar, resonating with a powerful message of hope." Kia DuPree, author of Robbing Peter, Damaged, Silenced, Shattered, and Disentangled.
"Rashid Darden's A Peculiar Legacy pulled me into a world where history and mysticism intertwine, long-held traditions echo across generations, and tenderness emerges in the most unexpected places. Set against a backdrop of risk and revelation, Darden crafts a novel as bold as it is immersive. This book lingers long after the final page—unsettling, moving, and utterly original." Peterson Toscano, performance artist, storyteller, and co-host of Quakers Today podcast.
"Darden has woven an amazing literary tapestry of lives shared and shaped in a DC enclave filled with tragedy, forgiveness, learning, acceptance and a commitment to community. An exceptional novel filled with memorable and relatable characters." La Toya Hankins, author of K-Rho: The Sweet Taste of Sisterhood and SBF Seeking.
"I love Slope, the DC community that Darden created. He populated it with not just colorful characters, but with history and layers to uncover and discover. Through masterful storytelling, Darden peels back these layers and reveals the very soul of this community, and how its soulfulness and devotion to each other help it during difficult times." Gar McVey-Russell, author of Sin Against the Race.
"A lad…takes us on a 'Peculiar' journey of prayer, migration, and maturing in a DC quite familiar to me. The 'Legacy' calls us to a journey of self-discovery and meditation fixed on a Slope whose folks invite us in. I want more of this community." Rev. Raymond B. Kemp, Georgetown University.
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