Author and professor Daniel Black’s novel Perfect Peace tells the story of a rural, African American family that is forced to grapple with their own concepts of gender and gender identity after a mother admits that she has raised her youngest son to be the daughter that she always wanted. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the 1940s American South, the novel addresses a range of themes that examine the fluidity of gender and the impact of gender on society. The intersections of race, gender, and sexuality are also explored, along with the role of family and community in shaping individual identity.

This guide refers to the first paperback edition published by St. Martin’s Press in 2010.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss racism and colorism, enslavement, forced transition and gender dysphoria, discrimination and violence toward transgender people, child abuse, domestic violence, sexual violence, sexual activity between children, anti-gay bias and discrimination, child loss, and suicide and suicidal ideation.

Plot Summary

Set in rural Arkansas during the mid-20th century, Perfect Peace begins by telling the story of a woman named Emma Jean Peace, who is physically abused by her mother when she is a child. As an adult, she becomes desperate to prove that she can be a better mother to her own daughter than her mother ever was to her. However, Emma Jean gives birth to seven boys. When her seventh son is born, she desperately wants a daughter, so she decides to lie to everyone, including the child, and she raises the baby as a girl named Perfect. For eight years, Perfect grows up identifying as a girl. When Perfect turns eight, it becomes apparent that Emma Jean can no longer keep hiding Perfect’s physical attributes as the child grows. One day, Emma Jean tells Perfect—who is referred to hereafter by the name of “Paul” and by the masculine series of pronouns—that he is a boy and must begin acting more masculine.

When Paul struggles to suddenly change the way that he identifies and acts, he is treated harshly by his father, Gustavus, or “Gus”; his brothers; and the wider community. His oldest brother, Authorly, takes it upon himself to train Paul out of his socially learned “feminine” mannerisms, and as Paul grieves for the person he is no longer allowed to be, he experiences several major acts of violence from his community and struggles to find his footing in the world. Throughout his inner turmoil, his childhood friend, Eva Mae, remains steadfast and tells him that she will always be his friend, no matter what. Paul also undergoes new conflicts with some of his other siblings, such as King Solomon, or “Sol,” who resents Emma Jean’s decision to remove him from school so that Paul will be able to attend instead. As Emma Jean and Gus’s seven children grow to maturity, they undergo a range of challenges due to their difficulties with adjusting to the new social expectations that Paul is forced to embrace. Paul even comes to question his faith, wondering why God would allow this to happen to him. His crisis of faith comes not long before a group of boys in his community assaults and rapes him, causing him to wonder anew why God would refuse to rescue him from such a traumatic event. Incensed by the abuse that Paul has suffered, Eva Mae entreats him to tell her who did this to him, but he reveals nothing. She independently conducts her own investigation, and when she learns who the guilty party is, she burns down the culprits’ home, killing them and their entire family. Although her crime is witnessed by the same person who helped Paul home after he was raped, no one else ever learns of Eva Mae’s actions, and she believes that God would approve of her decision to kill “sinners.”

As Paul grows and adapts, Emma Jean’s guilt continues to haunt her. One day, she decides to make Paul a suit for his school dance, and when she fails, she goes to the midwife, Henrietta, for help. Henrietta, who is still furious at Emma Jean for blackmailing her into lying about Perfect, tells Emma Jean that she will make the suit if Emma Jean works for her for the rest of her life. Emma Jean reluctantly agrees, and as a result of the grueling work, her mental health begins to rapidly decline. She sits in silence day after day, and she is forced to confront her relationship with her own mother and the impact that her mother’s abuse had on her choices. In the end, Emma Jean dies by suicide, drowning in the nearby Jordan River, and Paul tries his best to continue on with his own life. After a conversation with one of his older brothers, Paul decides that he wants to become a fashion designer. Eventually, he becomes famous and world-renowned for his work in this field.