Generations: A Memoir"Buffalo. A father's funeral. Memory. In Generations, Louise Clifton's formidable poetic gift emerges in prose, giving us a memoir of stark and profound beauty. Her story focuses on the lives of the Sayles family: Caroline, "born among the Dahomey people in 1822," who walked north from New Orleans to Virginia in 1830 when she was eight years old; Lucy, the first black woman to be hanged in Virginia; and Gene, born with a withered arm, the son of a carpetbagger and the author's grandmother. Lucille Clifton tells us about the life of an African-American family through slavery and hard times and beyond, of the death of her father and grandmother, but also of all the life and love and triumph that came before and remains even now. Generations is a powerful work of determination and affirmation. "I look at my husband," Clifton writes, "and my children and I feel the Dahomey women gathering in my bones.""-- Provided by publisher. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
asked Aunt Margaret Brown baby back home Black born bought brain tumor brother Ca'line's called Caroline Donald colored crazy cried Daddy would say Daddy's Dahomey women daughter Depew died dining room set doilies Edna Bell eight years old emphysema epilepsy EVERETT ANDERSON'S Everything was funny father feet of clay Fred Genie Georgia girl girlfriend going Grandma Moore grandmother hollered Howard University Jo's mother kids knew lady laughed lived looked Louis Sale loved Lucille Clifton Lucy Mama Mama's Mama's family Mammy Ca'line took married midwife moved to Buffalo named Harvey Nichols never slept night Old Man John Orleans to Virginia Pennsylvania Pitterman Sammy Samuel Sayles Lord scared sister Punkin slave slavery smiled stay straight street tell Thel Thelma Moore thought told Uncle Louis wait walked WALT WHITMAN wanted Washington D.C. whispered whiteboy window withered arm woman York City