Perfect Peace: A Novel

Daniel Black

Mar 2010 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

As seen on TikTok, Daniel Black’s Perfect Peace is the heartbreaking portrait of a large, rural southern family’s attempt to grapple with their mother’s desperate decision to make her newborn son into the daughter she will never have—“a 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 ain’t what you was supposed to be. So, from now on, you gon’ be a boy. It’ll be a little strange at first, but you’ll get used to it, and this’ll be over after while.”

From this point forward, Perfect’s life becomes a bizarre kaleidoscope of events—while 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 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 Invisible Things

“Part cautionary tale, part folk tale, part fable, Daniel Black’s Perfect Peace is 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 of Got ’Til It’s Gone

Ratings and reviews

I'm not throwing any hints nor spoiler details. This book was good. It caused me to think situations as such actually happened. Through the waves of emotions I went through, it was a very good read. Looking for more.

This book made my cry, laugh out loud, get angry, and gasp with unbelief. This book made me feel as if I had traveled back to my birth place of Cordele, GA. I knew every song Sol sang, and I sung them out loud! I knew most of the characters personally, although went by different names... I've read many, many, many books, but none made me experience the emotions that I felt while reading Perfect Peace. Terra

I couldn't put the book down and enjoyed all of it. The word choice was one of the most exciting pieces of the book. Powerful imagery came with every scene without a litany of descriptors. The most compelling thing about the book for me was seeing how peoples lives are directly impacted by what happened in their family generations before they are born. Amazing story!!

About the author

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.