Our Story (Napoleon's World)

Our Story is a three-volume historical fiction novel by Raymond Bean, published between 1994 and 1997. At a total of almost 2,200 pages, Our Story charts the history of African-Americans in Covenant, Arkansas, beginning with the arrival in the city of a slave named George Washington (G.W.) Brown to the city along with his master, Bill Brown, in 1868, and culminating in 1993 with his descendants. Bean's narrative was highly regarded for its prose and its huge popularity, and for the prominence of such a hefty work by an African-American author, leading many to regard him as Martin King's literary successor. The novels were lauded for not taking sides in the racial tensions; while told from a black perspective, the tone is relatively neutral and there are both heroes and villains from both races throughout the story. A 1999 TV miniseries starring a wide swath of prominent black actors was a broad success, and a 2006 film adaptation of Volume One was a financial failure despite receiving positive reviews, leading to the cancellation of a 2009 sequel. It was the most successful American novel series of the 1990's.