Award-winning journalist and SiriusXM radio Clay Cane is set to return to the literary space with Burn Down Master’s House, a bold historical fiction novel that reimagines the forgotten stories of enslaved people who rebelled against their oppressors. Scheduled for release in February 2026 and published by Dafina Books, the book will bring to life real acts of defiance—poisoning masters, setting plantations ablaze, and, in the ultimate symbol of rebellion, literally burning down the master’s house. According to Publisher’s Marketplace, Clay Cane’s follow-up to The Grift: The Downward Spiral of Black Republicans from the Party of Lincoln to the Cult of Trump—an instant New York Times bestseller—is pitched as reminiscent of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s The Water Dancer and Nathan Harris’s The Sweetness of Water. 

For over 150 years, there have been movements to soften the edges of slavery and downplay the importance of this history. Cane, who holds a Black Studies degree from Rutgers University, rejects this erasure, explaining to BET.com, “For anyone who says, ‘Not another slavery story,’ this isn’t just another slavery story. These are stories you don’t know, but you should. The lies about our history have come from every corner, from Kanye West to Nikki Haley, and considering the war on Black history in local governments, telling these truths is more crucial than ever. “

Additionally, every character is inspired by real people with Cane describing his process as deeply personal and redemptive: “I took the stories of these enslaved people and reimagined them. I give them love and justice where history gave them pain.” 

Cane’s words also extend beyond the historical and the past: “In these trying political and cultural times, Burn Down Master’s House is my act of defiance against those who try to hush the truth. And maybe, there’s a house in your life you need to burn, something keeping you from your own freedom. This book isn’t just a reckoning with history; it’s a call to action.”

With its timely themes and powerful storytelling, Burn Down Master’s House promises to ignite readers and inspire resistance, ensuring that the names and acts of courage history tried to bury are finally remembered.