To Each the Other Sent

What is family legacy? Is it property or cash? Or is it intangible and spiritual? Spanning three post-Civil War generations in American history and detailing each era so vividly that one can readily imagine being there, two families create a legacy of social justice cemented by a sometimes challenged but ever steadfast belief in a God of mercy and love.

Based largely on the author’s ancestors and set against the backdrop of a nation engulfed in racial chaos, this novel of historical fiction is a testament to love and faith through the ages, resulting in the unions of three couples who all cherished the notion that, from the time of creation, they were destined to be together, as indicated by a line from one of the author’s father’s poems: “Far across the frost-white firmament, one clear call to each the other sent…”

Religion, poetry, music and dance are central to the story, as are its primary locations, Georgia and Kentucky. There are plantations, stockyards, horses, and bourbon, with so much hilarious understatement that parts are laugh-out-loud funny. However, the novel is more about romance and sex than whiskey. Be advised, there is also violence, horror, and grief. The evil of racism pervades the novel like an entire character we are not able to separate ourselves from. The author details the joy and sadness, artistry, devotion and entrepreneurship of her ancestors while escorting them into our hearts as grand examples of how loving and courageous were the people who helped mold American life in the early decades of the 20th century.