"A Roots for a new generation, rich in storytelling and
steeped in history."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review**
"A compelling saga that gives a voice to those that history tried to
erase . . . Poignant and eye-opening, this is a must-read."
**--**Booklist
In The Other Madisons, Bettye Kearse--a descendant of an enslaved
cook and, according to oral tradition, President James Madison--shares
her family story and explores the issues of legacy, race, and the
powerful consequences of telling the whole truth.
For thousands of years, West African griots (men) and griottes
(women) have recited the stories of their people. Without this tradition
Bettye Kearse would not have known that she is a descendant of President
James Madison and his slave, and half-sister, Coreen. In 1990, Bettye
became the eighth-generation griotte for her family. Their
credo--"Always remember--you're a Madison. You come from African slaves
and a president"--was intended to be a source of pride, but for her, it
echoed with abuses of slavery, including rape and incest.
Confronting those abuses, Bettye embarked on a journey of discovery--of
her ancestors, the nation, and herself. She learned that wherever
African slaves walked, recorded history silenced their voices and buried
their footsteps: beside a slave-holding fortress in Ghana; below a
federal building in New York City; and under a brick walkway at James
Madison's Virginia plantation. When Bettye tried to confirm the
information her ancestors had passed down, she encountered obstacles at
every turn.
Part personal quest, part testimony, part historical correction, The
Other Madisons is the saga of an extraordinary American family told by
a griotte in search of the whole story.
