The Other Madisons

<strong>A </strong><em><strong>Roots </strong></em><strong>for a new generation rich in storytelling and steeped in history.</strong> <br><strong><strong>--</strong><em>Kirkus Reviews</em><strong><em> </em> starred review</strong> <p/><strong>A compelling saga that gives a voice to those that history tried to erase . . . Poignant and eye-opening this is a must-read.</strong> <br><strong>--</strong><em>Booklist </em></strong> <p/><strong>In <em>The Other Madisons</em> 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. </strong> <p/> For thousands of years West African <em>griots</em> (men) and <em>griottes</em> (women) have recited the stories of their people. Without this tradition Bettye Kearse would not have known that she is a descendant of President James Madison and his slave and half-sister Coreen. In 1990 Bettye became the eighth-generation <em>griotte</em> for her family. Their credo--<em>Always remember--you're a Madison. You come from African slaves and a president</em>--was intended to be a source of pride but for her it echoed with abuses of slavery including rape and incest. <p/> Confronting those abuses Bettye embarked on a journey of discovery--of her ancestors the nation and herself. She learned that wherever African slaves walked recorded history silenced their voices and buried their footsteps: beside a slave-holding fortress in Ghana; below a federal building in New York City; and under a brick walkway at James Madison's Virginia plantation. When Bettye tried to confirm the information her ancestors had passed down she encountered obstacles at every turn. <p/> Part personal quest part testimony part historical correction <em>The Other Madisons </em>is the saga of an extraordinary American family told by a <em>griotte</em> in search of the whole story.