Books like Twelve gates to the city by Daniel Black


Twelve Gates to the City is the much-anticipated sequel to Black's acclaimed debut, They Tell Me of a Home. In this novel, Sister assumes the voice of the narrator, speaking from the spirit realm, telling her brother TL things he could have never known about their family. She constructs the story as a series of spiritual revelations, exposing to readers both who she was in the years of TL's absence and how every event in his life was an orchestration for his return. TL in the meantime is back in Swamp Creek, to stay this time, but he's still haunted by his sister's death. His decision to become the Schoolmaster is the only thing he's sure about, and his impact upon the students becomes palpable. But he still doesn't know what happened to Sister. As he searches for ultimate truth, he discovers the secrets and beauty of Swamp Creek. Twelve Gates to the City is a novel about spiritual revelation, and communal healing, ushered in by one who finally realizes that his gifts were bestowed upon him, not for his own glory, but for the transformation of his people.
First publish date: 2011
Genre: Literary Fiction/Contemporary Literary Fiction
Authors: Daniel Black
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 0.0 (0 community ratings)

Twelve gates to the city by Daniel Black

How are these books recommended?

The books recommended for Twelve gates to the city by Daniel Black are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.


Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier for other readers to discover books theyโ€™ll enjoy.

Books similar to Twelve gates to the city (24 similar books)

The Book Thief by 4615885|Markus Zusak book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ The Book Thief

During World War II, a foster girl in Nazi Germany steals books to share with neighbors and a hidden Jewish man, proving literatureโ€™s power to nourish the soul amid darkness.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 4.2 (121 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Parable of the sower by 7384198|Octavia E. Butler book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ Parable of the sower

In a future Los Angeles devastated by climate collapse and social breakdown, Lauren Olamina, a hyperempathic young woman, survives the destruction of her safe haven and journeys north, carrying a visionary idea that could redefine humanity's future.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 4.5 (47 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Just Mercy by 11772924|Bryan Stevenson book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ Just Mercy

Justice lawyer Bryan Stevenson recounts his battle against wrongful convictions, lifeโ€‘sentence juvenile cases, and systemic bias while seeking reform of Americaโ€™s criminal justice system.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 4.2 (24 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Sellout by 7216737|Paul Beatty book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ The Sellout

A biting satire that follows a young man's journey from isolated upbringing in Los Angeles to a Supreme Court race trial, exploring fatherโ€‘son dynamics, racism, and political satire.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 3.8 (22 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
An American Marriage by 4219384|Tayari Jones book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ An American Marriage

Celestial and Roy, a young couple embodying the American Dream, are torn apart when Roy is wrongfully convicted and sent to prison. Five years later, his conviction is overturned, forcing Celestial to confront the fractured life she must rebuild.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 3.7 (11 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Warmth of Other Suns by 7877632|Isabel Wilkerson book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ The Warmth of Other Suns

The Warmth of Other Suns is a nonโ€‘fiction study of the Great Migration, tracing the journey of nearly six million African Americans from the South to northern and western cities between 1915 and 1970.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 4.4 (9 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The color of water by 8812162|James McBride book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ The color of water

James McBrideโ€™s memoir chronicles his upbringing among twelve siblings in Brooklynโ€™s Red Hook, revealing his motherโ€™s hidden Jewish heritage and their shared journey of race, identity, and faith.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 4.2 (8 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Sing, Unburied, Sing by 9440210|Jesmyn Ward book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ Sing, Unburied, Sing

Jojo and his little sister Kayla, raised by their grandparents, embark on a perilous journey across Mississippi after their mother, a drug addict, leaves to seek her incarcerated husband.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 3.7 (7 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Amari and the Night Brothers by 12647939|B. B. Alston book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ Amari and the Night Brothers

Amari Peters, a 13โ€‘yearโ€‘old schoolgirl, discovers her missing brother left her a mysterious briefcase that leads to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. With a weredragon roommate and ancient myths on the line, she must prove herself to uncover the truth.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 4.6 (7 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The House of the Seven Gables by 6958611|Nathaniel Hawthorne book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ The House of the Seven Gables

A dark New England mansion, the House of the Seven Gables, casts an ancestral curse over the Pyncheon family, revealing secrets, mysterious deaths, and a complex mix of gothic, historical, and moral themes.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 3.4 (5 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The sun does shine by 11880661|Anthony Ray Hinton book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ The sun does shine

Anthony Ray Hinton survived three decades on death row for a crime he did not commit, a harrowing tale of judicial error, discrimination, and the enduring power of hope and reading.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 4.8 (5 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
What we lose by 11869094|Zinzi Clemmons book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ What we lose

A comingโ€‘ofโ€‘age novel tracing Thandi, a young Africanโ€‘American woman in Pennsylvania, as she navigates identity, family history across continents, and her motherโ€™s cancer battle while seeking love and belonging.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 4.7 (3 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Florence Giles by 3461129|John Harding book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ Florence Giles

In a crumbling New England mansion, 12โ€‘yearโ€‘old orphan Florence and her brother, neglected by their guardian, must defend their home and each other from a sinister governess who may be a malevolent spirit.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 3.5 (2 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
When the sun goes down by 7224664|Gwynne Forster book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ When the sun goes down

When the Sun Goes Down follows three adult siblings as they investigate their deceased father's hidden will, uncovering family secrets and confronting past conflicts while learning to support one another.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 3.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Long Walk to Freedom by 6451603|Nelson Mandela book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ Long Walk to Freedom


โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 4.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Land of love and drowning by 11538561|Tiphanie Yanique book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ Land of love and drowning

A multigenerational saga of Virgin Islanders, following the lives of two orphaned sisters and their halfโ€‘brother after a 1912 shipwreck, as they navigate identity, love, and magic amid the islandsโ€™ transition from Danish to American rule.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 4.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Last Romantics by 11548124|Tara Conklin book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ The Last Romantics


โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Other Wes Moore by 11181003|Wes Moore book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ The Other Wes Moore
 by Wes Moore

Two boys named Wes Moore, raised in Baltimoreโ€™s same streets, choose starkly different pathsโ€”one a Rhodes Scholar and business leader, the other a lifeโ€‘sentenced murderer. The memoir chronicles their coincidental lives, letters, and profound reflections on choice and destiny.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Night by 6414067|Elie Wiesel book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ Night

Elie Wiesel chronicles the harrowing realities of his childhood in Nazi concentration camps, and how witnessing the loss of family and friends transformed his faith.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The drowned vault by 9385998|Nathan D. Wilson book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ The drowned vault

Two brothers search for a magical dragon's tooth to prevent the return of a powerful magic user.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
A Day Late and a Dollar by 9615763|Terry McMillan book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ A Day Late and a Dollar

A heartโ€‘wrenching tale of a Chicago family whose four adult childrenโ€”Paris, Lewis, Charlotte, and Janelleโ€”return to Las Vegas in 1994, each grappling with personal crises while their outspoken matriarch Viola confronts a dying husband and a looming health scare.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Queen sugar by 11866399|Natalie Baszile book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ Queen sugar

An Africanโ€‘American woman inherits a sugarcane farm in rural Louisiana and moves with her elevenโ€‘yearโ€‘old daughter from Los Angeles to start anew, confronting family tensions, agricultural challenges, and the legacy of the South.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Five-carat soul by 8812162|James McBride book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ Five-carat soul

James McBrideโ€™s fresh collection of short stories, *Fiveโ€‘Carat Soul*, explores the intersections of identity, history, and everyday life through humor, insight, and unexpected encounters.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
A Man Called Ove by 13702378|Fredrik Backman book cover

๐Ÿ“˜ A Man Called Ove


โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0

Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!

Please login to submit books!