The Sable Cloak

In this atmospheric novel set in the Jim Crow South, a powerful Black family fights to protect their empire--for readers of Tayari Jones.

Jordan Sable, a prosperous undertaker turned political boss, has controlled the Black vote in St. Louis for decades. Sara, his equally formidable wife, runs the renowned funeral establishment that put the Sable name on the map. Together they have pushed through obstacles in order to create a legacy for their children. When tragedy bursts their carefully constructed empire of dignity and safety, the family rallies around an unconventional solution. But at what cost?

Set in the Midwest in the 1940s, The Sable Cloak is a rarely seen portrait of an upper middle class, African American family in the pre-Civil Rights era. This deeply personal novel inspired by the author’s own family history delves into legacy and the stories we tell ourselves, and celebrates a largely self-sustaining, culturally rich Missouri community that most Americans may not be aware of.

Gail Milissa Grant was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri at the cusp of the modern civil rights movement. She is currently a writer and public speaker, based in Rome, Italy. Her first book, At the Elbows of My Elders: One Family’s Journey Toward Civil Rights, won the Benjamin Franklin Book of the Year 2009 for autobiography/memoir and also received an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. Ms. Grant has presented her book and lectured on civil rights history at over eighty venues, including Oxford University, Columbia University, New York University, Mohammed V University (Morocco), the Smithsonian Institute, and numerous US embassies throughout Europe. Her past careers include diplomacy and university teaching (art and architectural history) at Howard University in Washington, DC. As a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. State Department, she was assigned to Norway, France and Brazil, and did extensive press advance work for three U.S. presidents on four continents.