Nancy Rawles

My Jim
"Here, finally, is the Jim we can only glimpse between hijinks and humiliations in 'Huck Finn'--a man who's clever and tender, romantic and tragic. And there's just no escaping his wife's voice. I read some chapters without blinking."


Winner of the 2006 Legacy Award for Fiction from the Hurston/Wright Foundation and a 2006 Alex Award from the American Library Association

Crawfish Dreams
"Rawles captures the lyrical mystique of Creole traditions and language, while rendering complex characters that come across as flawed, real human beings who struggle with themselves and each other. Her vivid depictions of Watts in the mid-1980s and in flashbacks to the 1965 riots are poignant and heartbreaking. As a bonus, mouthwatering recipes are sprinkled throughout the narrative."

--Melissa Ewey Johnson, Black Issues Book Review

Selection of the spring 2003 Barnes and Noble "Discover Great New Writers" Program

Love Like Gumbo
"This novel celebrates family life at the same time it reminds readers that separation doesn't necessarily mean rejection. Rawles's first effort is sure to please fiction lovers."


Winner of a 1998 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation