Perfect Peace: A Novel

As seen on TikTok, Daniel BlacksPerfect Peaceis the heartbreaking portrait of a large, rural southern familys attempt to grapple with their mothers desperate decision to make her newborn son into the daughter she will never havea complex, imaginative story of one unforgettable black family in mid-twentieth century Arkansas (Atlanta Magazine).

When the seventh child of the Peace family, named Perfect, turns eight, her mother Emma Jean tells her bewildered daughter, You was born a boy. I made you a girl. But that aint what you was supposed to be. So, from now on, you gon be a boy. Itll be a little strange at first, but youll get used to it, and thisll be over after while.

From this point forward, Perfects life becomes a bizarre kaleidoscope of eventswhile the rest of his family is forced to question everything they thought they knew about gender, sexuality, unconditional love, and fulfillment.

A morality tale of the consequences of letting our selfish needs trap the ones we love into roles they werent born to play. The characters here are as flawed, their sins numerous, as any living human being held under the lens, but the author brings a compassion and understanding to their plights.Mat Johnson, award-winning author ofInvisible Things

Part cautionary tale, part folk tale, part fable, Daniel BlacksPerfect Peaceis a complete triumph&In Emma Jean Peace, Dr. Black has created a character as complex, equivocal and unforgettable as Scarlett O'Hara.Larry Duplechan, Lambda Literary Award-winning author ofGot Til Its Gone

DANIEL OMOTOSHO BLACK teaches at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned a Ph.D. in African American Studies from Temple University then returned to Clark Atlanta as a professor with hopes of inspiring young black minds to believe in themselves.

A high-spirited, compassionate look at everyone's longings for perfection, both inside and out. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Black effortlessly conveys Paul's agony over his inner shame and what the world sees on the outside. It's painful to see how his father also struggles to accept as a son the child he had once adored as a girl. For the Peace family, the end of Perfect is akin to the death of a loved one. San Antonio Express-News

Daniel Black understands the racial psychology and culture of the South so well that he can show, not tell, and his characters' actions always ring true. This novel is a powerful exploration of a small group of individuals who hold each other in high regard. The love among members of this family is severely challenged, but the challenge is triumphantly met. Each child grows to manhood and achieves success according to his gifts. Through their lives we experience disappointment and sorrow, but also fulfillment and joy.Perfect Peaceis an intense and satisfying read. Greg Iles, New York Times bestselling author of The Devil's Punchbowl

Daniel Black writes of growing up in a small town with humor, grace and forgiveness. Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of Very Valentine and the Big Stone Gap Series

Craftis not the word for this joyfully inscribed novel. The proper word isart. The book is a brave and complicated story perfectly told. Mr. Black offers a cultural gift to be welcomed. Houston A. Baker, Jr., author of American Book Award winning Betrayal: How Black Intellectuals have abandoned the Ideals of the Civil Rights Era

Perfect Peaceis a morality tale of the consequences of letting our selfish needs trap the ones we love into roles they weren't born to play. The characters here are as flawed, their sins numerous, as any living human being held under the lens, but the author brings a compassion and understanding to their plights. Mat Johnson, award-winning author of Incognegro, Drop, an