''Gabriel's Story'' is a novel by American author

David Anthony Durham David Anthony Durham (born March 23, 1969) is an American novelist, author of historical fiction and fantasy. Durham's first novel, ''Gabriel's Story'', centered on African American settlers in the American West. ''Walk Through Darkness'' fo ...

published by Doubleday in 2001.

Plot summary

Durham made his literary debut with a novel which, in the tradition of

Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western fiction, Western and Apocalyptic and post-apocalypt ...

's '' All the Pretty Horses'', views the American West through an original lens. Set in the 1870s, the novel tells the tale of Gabriel Lynch, an African American youth who settles with his family in the plains of Kansas. Dissatisfied with the drudgery of homesteading and growing increasingly disconnected from his family, Gabriel forsakes the farm for a life of higher adventure. Thus begins a forbidding trek into a terrain of austere beauty, a journey begun in hope, but soon laced with danger and propelled by a cast of brutal characters. By writing about African American characters, Durham gave voice to a population seldom included in our Western lore.

Awards and honors

*Legacy Award for Debut Fiction from the

Hurston/Wright Foundation The Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation is an American literary nonprofit organization that supports the development and careers of Black writers. The Foundation provides classes, workshops, an annual conference, and offers the Hurston/W ...

*2002 Alex Award from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

*2001 First Novel Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association * ''The New York Times'' Notable Book *''

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'' and ''

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'' Best of 2001 *''

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'' Editor's Choice *Book club pick for ''

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'' and ''

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''. *For reviews see: ''

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'' (January 18, 2001), ''

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'' (January 28, 2001), ''

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'' (February 12, 2001), ''

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'' (February 25, 2001), and ''

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'' (March 2001). *''Gabriel's Story'' has been optioned by

Uberto Pasolini Uberto Pasolini Dall'Onda (born 1 May 1957 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian film producer, director, and former investment banker known for producing the 1997 film ''The Full Monty'' and directing and producing the 2008 film '' Machan'' and the 201 ...

and is in development for a feature film with Alan Taylor to direct.

External links

*
''New York Times'' review of ''Gabriel's Story''
Western United States American historical novels Doubleday (publisher) books 2001 novels Novels set in the 1870s Novels set in Kansas {{2000s-hist-novel-stub