Poncia Vicencio
by Conceicao Evaristo

Ponci Vicencio, the debut novel by Afro-Brazilian writer Concei o Evaristo, is the story of a young Afro-Brazilian woman’s journey from the home of her enslaved ancestors to the wasteland of contemporary urban life. Seeking an escape from rural poverty and generations of despair, Ponci Vicencio moves to the city to start a new life. But in the loneliness of the inhospitable city, voices from the past crowd her mind. What is her grandfather s mysterious legacy? Can her family escape from servitude? And can we ever really outrun our past? This mystical story of family, dreams, and hope illuminates urban and rural Afro-Brazilian conditions with poetic eloquence and raw urgency.