J. California Cooper’s Followers (763)

J. California Cooper

Born

in Berkeley, California, The United States

November 10, 1931

Died

September 20, 2014

Genre

African American, Fiction, Short Stories

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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
J. California Cooper’s books

Average rating: 4.41 · 22,207 ratings · 1,291 reviews · 24 distinct works • Similar authors

	In Search of Satisfaction 4.46 avg rating — 3,385 ratings — published 1994 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Family 4.43 avg rating — 2,745 ratings — published 1990 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Some Love, Some Pain, Sometime: Stories 4.51 avg rating — 2,652 ratings — published 1995 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Homemade Love 4.48 avg rating — 1,880 ratings — published 1986 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Life Is Short But Wide 3.98 avg rating — 2,031 ratings — published 2009 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Some Soul to Keep 4.52 avg rating — 1,776 ratings — published 1987 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wake of the Wind 4.47 avg rating — 1,624 ratings — published 1998 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Piece of Mine: Stories 4.53 avg rating — 1,226 ratings — published 1984 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Some People, Some Other Place 4.40 avg rating — 1,236 ratings — published 2004 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Matter Is Life 4.54 avg rating — 1,183 ratings — published 1991 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by J. California Cooper…

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

274 likes

“I was foolish because I believed in you. You are a fool because you believe in yourself!”
― J. California Cooper, In Search of Satisfaction

32 likes

“Don’t bury it, use it. Don’t keep it in, give it away. Don’t turn that love in, turn that love out.”
― J. California Cooper, Some Love, Some Pain, Sometime: Stories

tags: love-quotes

26 likes

See all J. California Cooper's quotes »

Polls

July Group Read

-- The Wedding by Dorothy West

9 votes, 27.3%

-- The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

7 votes, 21.2%

-- Getting Mother's Body by Suzan-Lori Parks

7 votes, 21.2%

-- Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor

4 votes, 12.1%

Summer on the Bluffs (Oak Bluffs #1) by Sunny Hostin

-- Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin

3 votes, 9.1%

Summer in the Bluffs (write-in)

2 votes, 6.1%

-- The Wake of the Wind by J. California Cooper

1 vote, 3.0%

33 total votes

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