Not Far from Freedom. Dieser Artikel ist nicht verfügbar.Not Far from Freedom

A young woman makes an impetuous journey from Washington, DC to the Kentucky cabin of her century-old great-grandmother, seeking answers and direction. “Great,” born into slavery as Susan in Bardstown, Kentucky, takes her great-granddaughter, Marian, known as “Sweetpea,” on a journey into the past.

Great shares the surprising past of their ancestors—from entry onto American shores in Charleston, South Carolina, to the rich Virginia tobacco plantations and verdant farmland of Kentucky. Sweetpea sees that the women from whom she is descended were not pushovers, submissive, or weak, as women frequently were depicted in antebellum literature.

The old woman pulls deep into her memory, sharing stories that might have been lost forever if not for her great-granddaughter’s desperate search for solace. Great’s stories of cross-generational survival, striving, determination, and forgiveness help Sweetpea chart her future on the cusp of the modern-day Civil Rights Movement.

This historical novel, set in 1955, is based on the author’s genealogical research and family oral history. Great’s unique voice, and her interaction with Sweetpea, are evocative and enlightening.