Advanced Praise for Blood at the Root
"Equal parts Quentin Tarantino and Paul Beatty, Blood at the Root is a sharp-witted social satire that takes unflinching aim at race and class privilege in contemporary America."
—Justin Gifford, Associate Professor of English, University of Nevada, Reno; author of Street Poison: The Biography of Iceberg Slim
"The voice, writing, and atmosphere are absolutely stunning."
—Damyanti Biswas, author of You Beneath Your Skin
"Race, class, citizenship: these name the great questions of our age and Blood at the Root deepens them all."
—Donovan Irven, Associate Editor of Analecta Hermeneutica
"Audacious in its scope, meticulous in its construction, and relentless in its disavowal of its own authority."
—Amritjit Singh, Langston Hughes Professor Emeritus, Ohio University; author of The Novels of the Harlem Renaissance
About Ciahnan
Ciahnan is committed to using his craft to help him engage the world in which he finds himself and those with whom he shares it.
A writer and a scholar, he holds Masters degrees from the University of Chicago and Stony Brook University, and a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University at Buffalo.
Both his creative work and his scholarly research explore systemic inequality and the ways in which discourse on race and gender shape the horizons of individual and social life.
A Lifetime of Men
Three women. No apologies.
Tolan’s never thought much about the scar on her mother’s face. She’s asked about it a few times, but her mother always deflects the question with some wild story, and since they’re so close, Tolan lets her have that secret. But Tolan just found a manuscript on her mother’s computer that suggests the true story is almost as crazy as her mother’s tall tales.
Tolan feels guilty for prying, but she keeps reading, and as she does, she finds more mysteries tucked away in her mother’s past. Just when Tolan thinks she can’t take anymore, the protagonist falls in love with an ex-convict named Michael. Michael Tolan.
Tolan’s mother told her that her father died before she was born, but Tolan doesn’t believe that anymore. She doesn’t know what to believe. And adding to her confusion, she’s also pretty sure she’s falling in love with her best friend, Tori.
Almost overnight, everything Tolan thought she knew about herself and her family has changed. She wants answers, but is she willing to risk her closest relationships to find them?
Contact Ciahnan
Ciahnan is available for guest appearances, book signings, readings, and interviews. He also does freelance writing and editing work. For more details or to inquire about his availability, use the contact form to send Ciahnan a message.