Morning Joe
Award-winning actor Blair Underwood presents 'Sins of Survivors'
2025-05-20
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Novel / Available now
Sins of Survivors
After fleeing racial violence in Alabama, brothers Ben and Jasper Carter build a business empire in Detroit's thriving Black Bottom neighborhood. As their children come of age and their ambitions diverge, family tensions give rival power players a chance to bring the Carter dynasty down.
By Joe McClean · Blair Underwood presents
THE PROJECT
On the page.
A Carter Brothers novel, published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins. Based on characters created by Tiaka Hurst and Joe McClean.
- Joe McClean’s role
- Author
- Format
- Novel
A CLOSER LOOK
Stills & behind the scenes.
IN CONVERSATION
Watch the interviews.
Conversations about the Carter brothers, Detroit’s Black Bottom, and the story behind the book.
TODAY interview · NBC video via Yahoo
Blair Underwood on presenting new book, family, dream role
2025-05-19
Watch interviewNBC New York Live
Joe McClean & Blair Underwood talk 'Sins of Survivors'
Watch interviewInterviews open on the broadcaster’s site or its video partner.
FROM THE BACK COVER
Praise for Sins of Survivors.
“Sins of Survivors allows the everyday people of this storied past to come alive in dimension, with an urgency that is both page-turning and filled with intrigue.”Dominique Morisseau · Tony-nominated playwright of The Detroit Project and Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations
“Joe McClean’s script-writing chops are on full display in every scene of this fast-paced saga as the competitive Carter Brothers strive to build a business empire in Detroit’s Black Bottom. Sibling rivalry, shady deals, family secrets, and political turf wars crescendo into a dramatic finale.”A’Lelia Bundles · Author of Joy Goddess and On Her Own Ground
“The author takes us on a cinematic odyssey.”Mario Van Peebles · Filmmaker, actor, and activist
“The Carters, in McClean’s lively narrative style, are a composite of the community’s aspirations, and if the Corleones come to mind, then sit back and enjoy a semblance of the real and the imagined.”Herb Boyd · Author of Black Detroit
“Sins of Survivors is both a gripping family story and a timely reflection on historical themes that resonate powerfully in 2025. This is historical fiction at its finest—urgent, poignant, and unforgettable.”Bailey Sisoy-Moore · Founder and Executive Director of the Detroit History Club and Detroit History Tours
“Sins of Survivors gives us a piercing glimpse into a part of Black Bottom and Paradise Valley—the people, the places, and the stories—that forms the basis for the establishment of Black Detroit.”Jamon Jordan · Official Historian, City of Detroit
“Sins of Survivors tells an untold yet vital story of guilt and redemption. . . . It honors the lasting legacy of Black Bottom, a community whose spirit and impact are still felt and celebrated today.”Marcia Black · Co-Executive Director of Black Bottom Archives
“The history is well told with intrigue and a sense of realism.”Joe Louis Barrow Jr.