Booklist gave American Tapestry by Rachel L. Swarns a starred review when it came out in June:
The threads of Michelle Obama’s genealogy are as complex and tangled as those of most African Americans, leading through slavery, Emancipation, and the Great Migration. New York Times reporter Swarns traces the threads, some not previously known to Michelle Obama herself, to ties to black, white, Native American, and multiracial family members. Drawing on two years of research, including interviews with two elderly women—one black, the other white—Swarns presents the complicated story of race in the U.S. through the prism of one family’s history. Some of Obama’s forebears pushed against limitations in the South, moving on to chafe against restrictions they found in the North, while others stayed in the South, making peace with a desire to stay with family above all else. A central figure is Melvinia, a young slave girl who gave birth to mixed-race children, raising questions about her relations with her master and his sons. Swarns details the individual choices and challenges that faced the family as they were part of the great sweep of history and the pride or shame that caused some to pass along stories of achievement and keep secrets of their lives as slaves. A completely fascinating look at the complex ancestry of one family, African Americans, and all Americans.
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So it should come as no surprise that they have now dubbed it one of this “year’s outstanding books for public library collections.” How exciting! And in the spirit of giving, the first librarian to email librarylovefest@harpercollins.com and tell me a little something about his/her genealogical background will get a copy for their shelves.
Happy Holidays!
– Annie