{"product_id":"the-other-madisons-the-lost-history-of-a-presidents-black-family-isbn-9781328604392","title":"The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A \u003cem\u003eRoots \u003c\/em\u003efor a new generation, rich in storytelling and steeped in history.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e —\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e, Starred Review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \"A compelling saga that gives a voice to those that history tried to erase...Poignant and eye-opening, this is a must-read.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBooklist \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the International Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society Book Award \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the Outstanding Book Award from the National Association of Black Journalists \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the 2021 Library of Virginia's People's Choice Award —Nonfiction \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2021 Bronze Medal Winner of the Reader's Choice Book Award—Nonfiction\/Memoir  \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOne of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of the Year \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOne of Smithsonian Magazine's \"Best History Books of 2020\" \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOne of Good Morning America's \"7 Books to Read for Presidents Day,\" by Alexis Coe \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOne of Parade's Best Memoirs to Read this Year \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Other Madisons\u003c\/em\u003e, 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.  \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e For thousands of years, West African \u003cem\u003egriots\u003c\/em\u003e (men) and \u003cem\u003egriottes\u003c\/em\u003e (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 \u003cem\u003egriotte\u003c\/em\u003e for her family. Their credo—“\u003cem\u003eAlways remember—you’re a Madison. You come from African slaves and a president\u003c\/em\u003e”—was intended to be a source of pride, but for her, it echoed with abuses of slavery, including rape and incest. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e Part personal quest, part testimony, part historical correction, \u003cem\u003eThe Other Madisons \u003c\/em\u003eis the saga of an extraordinary American family told by a \u003cem\u003egriotte\u003c\/em\u003e in search of the whole story.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"A\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eRoots \u003c\/em\u003efor a new generation, rich in storytelling and steeped in history.\"  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eThe Other Madisons\u003c\/em\u003e marks the culmination of Kearse’s 30-year investigation into not only her own family history, but that of other enslaved and free African Americans whose voices have been silenced over the centuries.\"  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSmithsonian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A beautiful, sometimes wrenching, meditation on the brutality at the center of American history and the gnarled, complex power dynamics it has spawned in every facet of American life, from the halls of power to individual households.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNina Renata Aron, California Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Kearse's \u003cstrong\u003eenlightening\u003c\/strong\u003e book, \u003cem\u003eThe Other Madisons\u003c\/em\u003e, has not only been a labor of love for the author for 30 years but, more deeply, her life's purpose...Kearse's experiences with racism and those of her ancestors are deftly and sympathetically braided throughout the pages. Most notable is Mandy, who eloquently speaks to the reader through the author's imagination. Kearse came to understand that her ancestors must have possessed incredible inner strength and hope.\u003cstrong\u003e\" \u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlbuquerque Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eThe Other Madisons\u003c\/em\u003e, as a thorough history of one family, may offer answers for other descendants of enslaved people as well. It is part personal quest, as Kearse works to understand and reconcile her own origins, and a carefully researched and documented correction to the American historical record.\"  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Though Kearse’s attempts to establish a genetic link to the president — who had no 'acknowledged offspring' — are met with 'roadblocks,' she succeeds in portraying her family’s tenacious rise in social standing across eight generations. This moving account asks essential questions about how American history gets told.\"  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York State Writers Institute (University at Albany, State University of New York)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cstrong\u003eAstonishing\u003c\/strong\u003e... In extraordinary times, as statues fall, Bettye Kearse has written \u003cstrong\u003ean extraordinary book\u003c\/strong\u003e. It contains lessons for all Americans... \u003cstrong\u003ePowerful\u003c\/strong\u003e...Seeking to validate and enlarge the black Madisons’ saga, to tell a nuanced story until now completely unknown, [Kearse] succeeds richly...Leaving her much-celebrated white ancestors in the background, she restores the black Madisons to history. They are resilient Americans, second to none.\"  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMichael Henry Adams, The Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[An]\u003cstrong\u003e evocative and probing\u003c\/strong\u003e debut...[Kearse] succeeds in portraying her family’s tenacious rise in social standing across eight generations. \u003cstrong\u003eThis moving account asks essential questions about how American history gets told\u003c\/strong\u003e.\"  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"'You come from African slaves and a president,' Bettye Kearse's mother told her. According to oral history, she was the great-great-great-granddaughter of James Madison and Coreen, an enslaved woman; they were half-siblings. Armed with her family's archives, Kearse visited Montpelier, where Madison lived in a mansion and Coreen was likely born and raised in nearby slave quarters, and travels across the world and back again, through the Jim Crow South up to present-day California, in search of eight generations of Black Madisons. We think.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlexis Coe, for Good Morning America, \"7 Books to Read for Presidents Day\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A \u003cstrong\u003ecompelling\u003c\/strong\u003e saga that gives a voice to those that history tried to erase...\u003cstrong\u003ePoignant and eye-opening, this is a must-read.\" \u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A \u003cstrong\u003erichly detailed, nuanced, and poignant\u003c\/strong\u003e story—part memoir and part social history—that places the dual legacy of slavery and sexual violence at the center of America's founding.\"  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Progressive\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cstrong\u003eA compelling saga\u003c\/strong\u003e... Kearse, a very worthy storyteller carries the reader along as she deliberately and forcefully expounds on a narrative, abundant in its details — even though basically oral... In a way, Kearse’s quest to fill out portions of her story resembles the quest of two generations ago by author Alex Haley in his journey to find \u003cem\u003eRoots: A Saga of an American Family\u003c\/em\u003e... In all, Kearse spent 'more than 20 years traveling, researching and writing' about her ancestors. \u003cstrong\u003eGet this book and relive her journey\u003c\/strong\u003e.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890263191781,"sku":"NP9781328604392","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781328604392.jpg?v=1730232895","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-other-madisons-the-lost-history-of-a-presidents-black-family-isbn-9781328604392","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}