The Street American Classics Edition // A Novel

One ofThe AtlanticsGreat American Novels

One of The Center for Fiction’s 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature

“Petry is the writer we have been waiting for; hers are the stories we need to fully illuminate the questions of our moment, while also offering a page-turning good time. Ann Petry, the woman, had it all, and so does her insightful, prescient and unputdownable prose.Tayari Jones,New York Times Book Review

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, HarperCollins is proud to present this library of American classics drawn from our storied catalog.The Street, originally published in 1946 and hailed by critics as a masterwork, is the first novel by a Black woman to sell more than a million copies, and is a haunting story that still resonates today.

The Streettells the poignant, often heartbreaking story of Lutie Johnson, a young Black woman, and her spirited struggle to raise her son amid the violence, poverty, and racial dissonance of Harlem in the late 1940s.

Lutie is confronted by racism, sexism, and classism on a daily basis in her pursuit of the American dream for herself and her son, Bub. Lutie fully subscribes to the belief that if she follows the adages of Benjamin Franklin by working hard and saving wisely, she will be able to achieve the dream of being financially independent.

With an Introduction fromNew York Timesbest-selling author Tayari Jones.

Ann Petry was the acclaimed author of the adult novelThe Street, a groundbreaking literary work about life in Harlem, which sold over a million copies. She also wrote several books for young readers, includingHarriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad, the story of the courageous and heroic woman who struggled and fought for her people before and during the Civil War.

New York Timesbest-selling author Tayari Jones is the author of four novels, includingAn American Marriage,Silver Sparrow,The Untelling, andLeaving Atlanta. Jones holds degrees from Spelman College, Arizona State University, and the University of Iowa. A winner of numerous literary awards, she is a professor of creative writing at Emory University.

• Publisher: Mariner Books Classics
• Publish Date: May 05, 2026
• Pages: 400
• Language: English
• Type: Paperback
• EAN/UPC: 9780063481558
• Dimensions: 8.3 in H | 5.5 in W | 1 in T | 0.7 lb Wt
• BISAC Categories: Popular Fiction, Literary Fiction