Includes bibliographical references (pages 279-294) and index.
Contents
Introduction -- Reconstructing lineage, revising tradition in Song of Solomon and Zami -- On the line to Dahomey : charting Generations -- Recollections of kin : Beloved and The black book -- Trouble in mind : blues and history in Corregidora -- Writing beyond the blues : The color purple -- Extending the line : from Sula to Mama day -- Bare bones and silken threads : lineage and literary tradition in Praisesong for the widow -- In search of our mothers' gardens and our fathers' (real) estate : Alice Walker, essayist -- Epilogue : moving on down the line ...