It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Tapestry by Beth Duke.
Beth Duke is the nationally bestselling author of It All Comes Back to You, Delaney's People, Don't Shoot Your Mule, and Tapestry. She lives in the mountains of her native Alabama with her husband, Jay. Her favourite things are writing, reading, traveling with her family, and join in book clubs for discussion.
Follow @bethidee on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Bookbub, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit bethduke.com, Buy Tapestry
About the book
Twenty-one-year-old Skye Willis lives in Eufaula, Alabama, a tourist mecca of stately homes and world-class bass fishing. Her childhood friends are either stuck at dead ends or have moved on to accomplish Big Things.
Skye’s grandmother, Verna, insists on being called “Sparrow” because she suspects her ancestors were Muscogee Creek. She dresses in faux deerskin and experiments with ancient Native American recipes, offering a myth or legend to anyone who will listen.
Skye has no idea what to do with her life. She’s smart as hell, but she has no faith or knowledge there’s something out there she was “born to do.” Nor does she know much of anything about her father, who died in Afghanistan when she was a toddler. He and his family are a mystery her mother won’t discuss. But when Sparrow sets out to confirm her Creek ancestry through genetic testing, Skye joins in.
The results hit like a DNA bomb, launching them both on a path filled with surprises and life-changing events. Skye learns a harder truth than she ever expected.
Skye’s grandmother, Verna, insists on being called “Sparrow” because she suspects her ancestors were Muscogee Creek. She dresses in faux deerskin and experiments with ancient Native American recipes, offering a myth or legend to anyone who will listen.
Skye has no idea what to do with her life. She’s smart as hell, but she has no faith or knowledge there’s something out there she was “born to do.” Nor does she know much of anything about her father, who died in Afghanistan when she was a toddler. He and his family are a mystery her mother won’t discuss. But when Sparrow sets out to confirm her Creek ancestry through genetic testing, Skye joins in.
The results hit like a DNA bomb, launching them both on a path filled with surprises and life-changing events. Skye learns a harder truth than she ever expected.
For me this story is about identity, both from a genetic and a non-biological perspective, but perhaps more importantly from a cultural and historical one too.
From Skye trying to discover something about herself by finding the family she doesn't know. Also by acknowledging the identity Sparrow carries like a blanket of comfort and support around her shoulders. Where one path leads to confirmation and a sense of calm, the other leads to confusion and at first a lack of connection.
Skye follows a path that leads her to a story of pain, and yet also one of strength and fierce determination. Duke gives this tale a note of frivolous joy, which often exists between those who care and love each other unconditionally.
I think it was important, especially given the sensitive historical nature of the topics, for the research to lead back to culturally appropriate sources. I wasn't aware of the place known as AfricaTown - Plateau, but had heard of The Clotilda or Clotilde. I think it's just another reminder that certain elements of history are whitewashed and are written by those who control the narrative. It deserves a larger place in history that's for certain.
I loved the way everything fit so well with this book. The title, the cover - the plot that depicts the way lives are threads drawn out from a central point and woven together with a variety of colours thereby creating a beautifully diverse tapestry. The picture of life, and in a way the picture of our DNA.
It's an intricate tapestry of the past, the present, and of family.
Buy Tapestry at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published in paperback, digital and audio formats by The Art of Dixie on 8th February 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Book Depository. Buy at Barnes and Noble.
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