ies exploring love and how its presence or absence impacts family relations, friendships and romantic relationships, Some Soul to Keep draws a vivid picture of Black characters that leap off the page with their spirit and voice in the literary folk tradition associated most often with Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. With her warm narration and understanding of the human condition, J. California Cooper brings stories of Black family life in rural and small town America that are deeply moving and unforgettable.