J. California Cooper

Author profile

born

Berkeley, California, The United States

gender

female

genre

African-American, Fiction

About this author

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J. California Cooper first found acclaim as a playwright. The author of seventeen plays, she was named Black Playwright of the Year in 1978. It was through her work in the theater that she caught the attention of acclaimed poet and novelist Alice Walker. Encouraged by Walker to turn her popular storytelling skills to fiction, Cooper wrote her first collection of short stories, A Piece of Mine, in 1984. Called "rich in wisdom and insight" and "a book that's worth reading," A Piece of Mine introduced Cooper's trademark style: her intimate and energetic narration, sympathetic yet sometimes troubled characters, and the profound moral messages that underlie seemingly simple stories. Two more story collections followed on the heels of A Piece of...more

combine editions
Books by J. California Cooper

Average rating: 4.33 · 4,882 ratings · 372 reviews · 25 distinct works

	In Search of Satisfaction 4.46 avg rating — 609 ratings — 5 editions	My rating:
	Family by J. California Cooper, Gina Davis (Designed by) 4.33 avg rating — 627 ratings — published 1990 — 9 editions	My rating:
	Some Love, Some Pain, Sometime: Stories 4.47 avg rating — 528 ratings — published 1995 — 6 editions	My rating:
	Homemade Love 4.44 avg rating — 450 ratings — published 1986 — 7 editions	My rating:
	Some Soul to Keep 4.50 avg rating — 426 ratings — published 1987 — 3 editions	My rating:
	Life is Short But Wide 3.80 avg rating — 426 ratings — published 2009 — 7 editions	My rating:
	The Wake of the Wind 4.41 avg rating — 355 ratings — published 1998 — 3 editions	My rating:
	A Piece of Mine: Stories 4.38 avg rating — 316 ratings — published 1984 — 4 editions	My rating:
	Some People, Some Other Place 4.27 avg rating — 336 ratings — published 2004 — 4 editions	My rating:
	The Matter Is Life 4.43 avg rating — 299 ratings — published 1991 — 4 editions	My rating:

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Quotes by J. California Cooper

“Love entered in my heart one day
A sad, unwelcome guest.
But when it begged that it might stay
I let it stay and rest

It broke my nights with sorrowing
It filled my heart with fears
And, when my soul was prone to sing,
It filled my eyes with tears.

But...now that it has gone its way,
I miss the dear ole pain.
And, sometimes, in the night I pray
That Love might come again.”
― J. California Cooper

tags: heartache , love

50 people liked it

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