Talk About Mixed Feelings

Did you like the miniseries, Roots? If so, you'll also love this book by Bettye Kearse about her own family tree. This woman who leaves no challenge unmet (got a PhD and then, meh, why not--became a pediatrician) guides us through the task of becoming her family's griotte (keeper of stories). This is a responsibility handed down from generation to generation, and it is serious business. Well, her mom chose well. I enjoyed every page of this family history, although I'm sure pulling back the curtain into the past was painful for the author. She does a great job of making you feel that you were there in some small way, and sheds light on an accepted, but deplorable part of our nation's story. Dive in and learn how James Madison's family partook in this practice, and meet the scions that resulted. Proud to be Madisons? Maybe. But proud to have come from such strong African roots, for sure.