Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-253).

Prologue -- The new Griotte -- The box -- Family stories -- Footsteps -- Living history -- Destination Jim Crow -- The dentist -- Beads -- The castle -- The museum -- "Visiting" -- Sanctuaries -- In search of the President's son -- Elizabeth -- Free! -- Gramps -- New York memorial -- The plantation's tale -- History, heritage, memory.

"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."-- Provided by publisher.

For thousands of years, West African griots and griottes have recited the stories of their people. Because of this, Kearse learned she is a descendant of President James Madison and his slave-- and half-sister-- Coreen. This family history was intended to be a source of pride, but for Kearse it echoed with abuses of slavery, including rape and incest. She embarked on a journey of discovery of her ancestors, the nation, and herself. When she tried to confirm the information her ancestors had passed down, she encountered obstacles at every turn. This is her saga of an extraordinary American family-- told by a griotte in search of the whole story. -- adapted from jacket