Caul Baby

Morgan Jerkins’ Caul Baby is a magical realist tale of Black motherhood set in Harlem. The story centers on the Melancons, an old Harlem family known for their caul, a layer of skin they can cut off and give to people that has healing powers. Laila, a woman suffering miscarriages, turns to them in desperation when her pregnancy finally makes it past the first trimester. However, her deal for caul falls through — and her baby is stillborn. Devastated by grief, Laila retreats from the world. What she doesn’t know is that her 16-year-old niece, Amara, is pregnant and doesn’t want the child — so Amara gives the baby, who is born with a caul, to a family that turns about to be the Melancons. We follow the child, Hallow, as she grows up and learns the horrors of selling skin, and Amara as she works to get revenge for her aunt.

“I started revising this novel during the pandemic last year, and I really started to think about how disposable people are,” Jerkins told NPR. “And I think that the pandemic has really taught me that unfortunately, or reinforced the point that when it comes to capital, people are disposable and some people are more disposable than others. And unfortunately, in the history of this country, those people tend to be Black women. ... Black women and their bodies and their ability to reproduce was seen as money — was seen as money for other people's profits.”

⁣A captivating story on the bonds between mothers and daughters and a powerful meditation on secrets, gentrification, family legacy, and more. A must-read.⁣

Rating: ★★★★★