Initially, Elisabeth is the matriarch of the four generations of women spoken of in the story. Elisabeth works at home, but is married to a field slave and has three daughters. Not much insight is given into Elisabeth and her feelings, but through the narrative it is as if she lives vicariously through her youngest daughter, Suzette: "It was as if her mother had been the one who had just made her first communion, not Suzette" ( 20) Even though Elizabeth also worked in the house, Suzette had more privileges than her mother and the other slaves. Elisabeth represented the strength and pride of her people: “You have both a mother and a father, and I am no match for the [plantation] house” (25). It constantly reminded Suzette of her real family, meaning the memory of a history of people and their roots. It is up to Suzette to maintain the legacy even through the ultimate miscegenation of generations to come. Tademy then further illustrates the importance of family through the character Suzette. She was born a slave; however, Suzette lives in the plantation house as a nanny instead of in the slave quarters. The fact that Suzette is a house slave is the reason for her profound loss: “Get out of your head and see how things really are” (25). Suzette's perception of reality is distorted by the fact that she spends so much time in the plantation house rather than in the slave quarters where her family lives. From the beginning, Suzette is determined to speak French and receive Holy Communion in church, which places her even more above the other slaves. Although she doesn't see freedom until after the war, the aforementioned elevation is what leads Suzette to be the first to discover the promise and m...... middle of paper... lives. It gives readers a chance to highlight these women and their families. It allowed readers to experience firsthand the trials and tribulations these women endured. A non-fiction novel would not have had that impact and ability to draw readers so close. Overall, Tademy does a great job of taking its readers back to the 1800s in rural Louisiana. This book is a profound alternative to yet another slave narrative. Instead of history he offers “history.” This story offers great insight into the issues of slavery through the perspective of women, something not many books offer. Not only does it give readers a single account or perspective of slavery, it also gives readers an approach to slavery through generation after generation. From the early days of slavery through the Civil War, a narrative of strength, pride, and family culture is captured in these lines.