What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedQueen Sugar
Ava DuVernay · Series · 2016
If you loved Queen Sugar, start with Queen of Katwe (Mira Nair, 2016) — a film on the same thread. Below: 2 books, 3 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to Queen Sugar across media.
What hooked you in Queen Sugar was the way a family's complex inheritance forces a deep reckoning with history and home.
Books on the same thread
Kin
Tayari Jones · Book
Explores: female friendship, generational trauma, coming-of-age.
Like the bond between the Bordelon sisters in Queen Sugar, this story centers on the enduring, often complicated ties of female friendship and the weight of generational trauma in Louisiana.
The Sweetest Thing
Deborah Fletcher Mello · Book · 2014
Shares a thread with Queen Sugar: Inheritance.
You will recognize the central conflict of Queen Sugar here, as characters navigate the emotional and practical burdens of inheriting a business from a beloved, recently departed father figure.
Films on the same thread
Queen of Katwe
Mira Nair · Film · 2016
Explores: Overcoming Adversity, Poverty and Potential, Female Empowerment.
This film echoes the spirit of resilience found in Queen Sugar by focusing on a woman's journey to transcend her disadvantaged environment through determination and the power of community.
Mudbound
Dee Rees · Film · 2017
Shares 2 threads with Queen Sugar: Rural Life, Southern Drama.
If the Southern landscape and racial dynamics of Queen Sugar resonated with you, this film offers a similarly unflinching look at families struggling against an unforgiving social hierarchy.
Daughters of the Dust
Julie Dash · Film · 1991
Explores: cultural heritage, generational trauma, African diaspora.
This film shares the evocative, atmospheric focus on cultural heritage and African-American family legacy that makes the world of Queen Sugar feel so rich and deeply rooted.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Archers
Podcast
Explores: family life, community, farming.
For those who appreciated the rural setting and daily community dynamics of Queen Sugar, this long-running drama provides an immersive, serialized look at life on the land.
1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
Shares a thread with Queen Sugar: social justice.
This podcast explores the systemic roots of history, providing the essential sociopolitical context that informs the contemporary struggles for identity and legacy depicted in Queen Sugar.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Queen Sugar set in Louisiana?
Yes, Queen Sugar is set in the heart of Louisiana. The plot follows sisters Nova and Charley Bordelon as they move to the state to claim an inheritance consisting of an 800-acre sugarcane farm left to them by their recently departed father.
What is the main premise of Queen Sugar?
Queen Sugar centers on two sisters, Nova Bordelon and Charley Bordelon, who relocate to Louisiana. Along with Charley’s teenage son Micah, they work to manage an 800-acre sugarcane farm inherited from their late father, navigating the complexities of their new life and family legacy.
Who are the primary characters in Queen Sugar?
The primary characters in Queen Sugar are the two sisters, Nova Bordelon and Charley Bordelon. The story also features Charley’s teenage son, Micah, as they all transition to life in Louisiana to manage the 800-acre sugarcane farm inherited from their father.
Does Queen Sugar involve an inheritance?
Yes, the central conflict of Queen Sugar involves an inheritance. Nova and Charley Bordelon move to Louisiana to claim an 800-acre sugarcane farm that was left to them by their father following his recent passing.