"It is 1964. The small island protectorate of Barbados crackles with the spark of independence. Although poverty is everywhere, the promise of a better future, always denied to its children, may yet be fulfilled. In this beautiful, poignant, and ultimately hopeful novel, the fate of one Bajan family rests in the hands of change - change that only liberation and knowledge can bring."--BOOK JACKET.

"Howard Prescod, his brothers, his two aunts, and his grandmother live a hand-to-mouth existence in their tiny, exhausted shack. Every day is a supreme struggle to stay alive, as they cook what food they can get over an open fire. Howard's parents left for England long ago and, more than anything, he and his brothers want their parents to send for them.

Still, Howard and his extraordinary grandmother share a fierce love, which sustains them both through the harsh beatings he suffers daily at school and the cruelties inflicted upon the defenseless family by the local bullies because there is no man in the house to protect them."--BOOK JACKET.

"But their lives change forever when Mr. Bradshaw, the island's first black headmaster, is hired for Howard's school. As Howard begins to blossom under Bradshaw's guidance, he learns that neither freedom nor knowledge comes without sacrifice and that even battles that are won leave victims. The living symbol of the power of education and self-rule, Howard becomes the harbinger of a new future for all."--BOOK JACKET.

"In No Man In the House, Cecil Foster brilliantly captures the light and sound of Barbados with an exquisite portrait of its character, its energy, and its people, especially the strong women, who are both desperate and hopeful in the face of change. His is a rich new voice in contemporary fiction."--BOOK JACKET.