The Twelve Tribes of Hattie Ayana Mathis's The Twelve Tribes of Hattie follows a woman from Georgia during the Great Migration in 1923 to Philadelphia, where — after the beginning of a disappointing marriage and the death of her firstborn twins — Hattie gives birth to nine more children, whom she raises with grit and harshness in order to protect them against the hard world they face ahead. Image Source: Amazon