Cane river dramatizes the roots of turmoil within americas black community on issues of skin color. Beginning with her great great great great grandmother, a slave owned by a creole family, lalita tademy chronicles four generations of strong, determined black. Tademys books are always wellresearched, wellwritten, and engrossing. Soon after its release the novel became an oprahs book club summer selection and was discussed during an airing of oprahs daily talk show. Citizens creek by lalita tademy goodreads share book. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are. She spends her days in the derbannes home, which not one of the great plantation. This group of men and women, including a 10yearold orphan named sugar, live and work on louisianas river road plantation, harvesting sugar cane and doing what they must to survive.
Beginning with tademys great great great great grandmother elisabeth, this is a family saga that sweeps from the early days of slavery through the civil war into a precivil rights southa unique and moving slice of americas past that will resonate with readers for generations to come. Lalita tademys book, cane river, tells in fictional form the stories of four generations of the women in her family. Cane river is a familial saga that tells the story of the authors ancestors. Cane river had been financed by the rhodes family, principally duplain and doris rhodes, who ran mortuaries in new orleans. Victoria aveyard cassandra clare sarah dessen john green sarah j. Cane river lalita tademy, 2001 grand central publishing 584 pp. Review of cane river a work of fiction firmly embedded in historical fact, tademys debut novel is set on a mediumsized plantation along cane river in louisiana. Welcome to the facebook page of cane river stories, a photo documentary project by photographer thomas meredith. Nonetheless, her parents made sure their household louisiana west maintained a definite noncalifornia edge, including a steady supply of grits, gumbo, cornbread, and collard greens, and a stream of other transplanted southerners eager to share. Cane river is a cinematic valentine straight from the mind and soul of writerdirector horace b.
Understand more than 700 works of literature, including to kill a mockingbird, the catcher in the rye, 1984, and lord of the flies at. Oprahs book club do you remember the first book she picked. Loved this book very informative about the differences in attitudes towards slaves in catholic louisiana as opposed to the rest of the deep south, what other book might you compare cane river to and why. Hes survived with only a hatchet beforenow can brian build a raft and navigate an unknown river. Pdf cane river book by lalita tademy free download 522. See a complete list of the characters in the open boat and indepth analyses of the correspondent, the captain, and the oiler billie. I felt like i was in roses shoes as i read the book. Suffice it to say that i enjoyed cane river tremendously, and that it should be mandatory reading for anyone who truly seeks to understand an important part of the history and heritage of the united states.
Her book, red river, focuses on the patriarchs of her family tree, the men. Red river is the continuing story of the tademy family and their road from slave life to freedom. Beginning with her greatgreatgreatgrandmother, suzette, tademy gives readers an honest rendering of slave life and the fears these women faced. As a white woman, with black friends, i found this book by a black woman fascinating, wellwritten and delightful to read. Cammie henry and her circle at melrose plantation by patricia austin becker 2018, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. The forgotten people, cane rivers creoles of color. Read free book excerpt from cane river by lalita tademy, page 1 of 6. A river runs through it begins with the narrator, norman maclean, describing what it was like to grow up in missoula, montana, as the son of a scottish presbyterian minister who holds two things sacred. Rich in imagery, toomers impressionistic, sometimes surrealistic sketches of southern rural and urban life are permeated by visions of. And the actual family photographs and documented history add a great deal to the.
The story begins in 1834 with story of suzette, the authors greatgreat grandmother. Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of the story by reading these key quotes. As the story opens in 1834, suzette has been slapped by madame francoise derbanne, the mistress of rosedew, the. This wonderful first novel will not leave one satisfied with just one reading. Sure, i can understand why many call red river one of the greatest westerns ever made because it has that classic charm and feel, but it doesnt hold a candle to films like high noon and. But this changes after shes raped by an older frenchman. The most comprehensive, accurate, and useful guides to classic and contemporary lit on the internet. The derbanne plantation was located in cane river, louisiana. Whether youre studying hamlet or hunger games, well make sure you get the big idea. It was written, produced, and directed by horace b. Jenkins, who died before the projects original release in 1982. Lalita tademys riveting family saga chronicles four generations of women born into slavery along the cane river in louisiana.
They survived the hard life of settling in the mountains of southwest virginia, the pain and loss of childbirth, disease, economic hardship, the depression. Sep 25, 2016 a negative of cane river 1982, which resurfaced two years ago, has connected a disparate group of people across the country. It is narrated by polly, tademys great great grandmother, and within the first few pages you instantly begin to understand the depth of investigative work that tademy had to. Lalita tademy has imbued life and blood into her family history, capturing you with her first sentence and only releasing you with her final word. The new york times bestselling author of the oprah book club pick cane river brings us the evocative story of a onceenslaved man who buys his freedom after serving as a translator during the american indian wars, and his granddaughter, who sustains his legacy of courage. Jenkins longlost debut feature, a 1982 romantic drama centering on black characters in. A river runs through it summary from litcharts the creators. The river by gary paulsen overdrive rakuten overdrive. Lalita tademy traced her ancestry through four generations of remarkable woman, each struggling for her freedom in different ways. May 24, 2014 oprahs book club do you remember the first book she picked. I could see it in philomene the day she was born she was very special. Cane river 2001 is a fictionalized version of the lives of author lalita tademys female ancestors over the course of four generations.
I would recommend everyone to read all three of her books, cane river, red river, and citizens creek. This summary of cane river includes a complete plot overview spoilers. Cane river begins with elisabeth tademys greatgreatgreatgreatgrandmother and focuses on three women marked by her strength, her pride, and her instinct for survival. Lalita tademy was born in berkeley, california, far from her parents southern roots. From that point on, shell take great joy in sneaking out whenever she can to pee on francoises rosebushes. An iracbc childrens choice a parents magazine best book of the year. Feb 01, 2005 cane river covers 7 years of lalita tademys familys history, written as fiction, but deeply rooted in years of research historical fact, and family lore. Jan 01, 2001 cane river is an interesting, if easy book. Apr 01, 2002 cane river tells the story of four generations of africanamerican women and the choices they made in order to survive slavery and tragic losses and to create a legacy for the generations to follow.
First published in 1923, jean toomers cane is an innovative literary work powerfully evoking black life in the south. I was looking on sparknotes but it appears they dont have a summary does anyone know of another website that would have a summary of this book. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of cane river by lalita tademy. Apr 17, 2001 the story opens in 1834, on a plantation on the cane river in louisiana, as suzette turns nine.
Beginning with tademys greatgreatgreatgreat grandmother elisabeth, this. And actually its the women of cane river and the men of red river, these are. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 522 pages and is available in paperback format. Mills has produced a historical narrative that has melded facts, lives and personalities in way that provides a great story. Cane river it was here, on a mediumsized creole plantation owned by a family named derbanne, that author lalita tademy found her familys rootsand the stories of four astonishing women who battled vast injustices to create a legacy of hope and achievement. Buy cane river study guide by ebook online at lulu. Beginning with her greatgreatgreatgreat grandmother.
What are the similarities and differences between cane river of the l800s and the united states today. It is a family saga that covers four generations of women born into slavery and searching for freedom. Cane river was a community with both rigid hierarchies and notable exceptions to these hierarchies. Lalita tademy had always been intensely interested in her familys stories, especially ones about her greatgrandmother emily, a formidable figure who died with. Cane river is a 1982 american romantic drama film that was lost until its rediscovery in 20 and its subsequent rerelease in 2018 and beyond. How do you think the free people of color justified playing a willful role in their kinsmens oppression. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading cane river. This study guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of cane river. A new york times bestseller and oprahs book club pickthe unique and deeply moving saga of four generations of africanamerican women whose journey from slavery to freedom begins on a creole plantation in louisiana. A story of three generations of strong women, slaves and the complexity of their lives, and the importance of family. Beginning with her great great great great grandmother, a slave owned by a creole family, lalita tademy chronicles four generations of strong, determined black women as they.
Until that point, shes been the best friend of the plantation owners daughter. Built from an exploration of her own ancestors, tademys cane river is an impressive melding of historical documents and fiction, pulling together multiple generations of a single family and offering a novel which offers the best of what historical fiction can be. Authors message the authors message is to get to know your family. Cane river tells the story of four generations of africanamerican women. They bided their time and collected themselves back together again as they were able, from up and down cane river and as far away as virginia, because in family there was strength that couldnt be.
The story stretches all the way back to 1834, beginning with tademys greatgreatgreatgreat. The author wrote this book because she learned about her family from her. Cane river is a novelization of stories tademy gleaned from years of research about the generations of strong, dedicated, passionate and sometimes wrongheaded women who labored, in all senses of the word, through slavery and beyond. Suzette elisabeths youngest daughter, and the first to discover the promise and heartbreak of freedom. What ensues is one of the great massacres of american history. Discovering the women of cane river writing cane river affected me actually more than i suspected it would. As directed by congress, the national park service has initiated a special resource study to identify and evaluate alternatives for managing, preserving, and interpreting historic structures, sites, and landscapes within the cane river area of northwestern louisiana, and how creole culture developed in this area. Get to know your family becaus ethe things they went through and did could amaze you. The resulting novel deals with 100 years and five generations of black women in louisiana countryside, from slavery in the 1830s, to the end of the civil war and slavery, to the severe separation of the 1930s. In a novel that combines painstaking historical reconstruction with unforgettable storytelling, lalita tademy presents an all too rarely seen part of american history, complete with a provocative portrayal of the complex, unspoken bonds between slaves and slave owners. A new york times bestseller and oprahs book club pickthe unique and. It was chosen as an oprahs book club selection in a blend of fact and fiction, tademy tells the story of four generations of her slaveborn female ancestors elisabeth, suzette, philomene, and emily following their trajectories from the 1830s to the 1930s. This study guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries.
Do you think that cane river s historical divisions of class, race and gender have contemporary parallels. Born into slavery and a world of frenchspeaking slaves, free people of color, and whites, suzette believes in. The first edition of the novel was published in january 1st 2001, and was written by lalita tademy. Red river is a 2008 novel of historical fiction by lalita tademy, largely based on the history of her fathers family. The story opens in 1834, on a plantation on the cane river in louisiana, as suzette turns nine. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read cane river. Emily, for example, is described by the author as being colorstruck. Buy a cheap copy of cane river book by lalita tademy. The closest she had ever been to cane river royalty.
Cane river will be one of those books i will indeed reread. A beautiful high yellow baby, whose looks favored her father, eugene fredieu. The theme of the cane river creoles of colour, epitomised by the metoyer family runs throughout the book and allows the reader to identify with the monumental struggle of that community. For the first time its not only brians survival thats at stake.
Emily returns to the greatest game of all, as hidden in a desolate cave. Beginning with her great great great great grandmother, a slave owned by a creole family, lalita tademy chronicles four generations of. The book begins with elisabeth, who was sold from virginia to louisiana, and one of tademys many brilliant. Her mother elizabeth works in the kitchen of the plantation rosedew, and when.
Cane river by lalita tademy book club discussion questions. In the world that we lived in i thought race was everything, maybe this child would get to lead an easier life than i had, a life of freedom and in a w. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Its the only movie that he directed, and it was made with an all african american cast and crew. Tademy tells suzettes story for about twenty years, including her trial. Tademy brings the results of her research to cane river.
Cane river book lawrence public library bibliocommons. Buy this book five generations and a hundred years in the. Cane river tademy left a great career in silicon valley to investigate the history of his family. Previously, lalita tademy wrote cane river, which was selected for oprahs book club and is another historical fiction book, this one based on her maternal relatives. Cane river has paved the way to the better understanding not only of racial inequalities, but most importantly the issues that has manifested itself over several generations in some black society. Brians only hope is to transport derek a hundred miles down the river to a trading post. The other side of the river, by alex kotlowitz, is a story based on true events that took place in two towns in michigan regarding the death of a black teenage boy whose body was found in the. This is the reality of life for the characters in sugar, the powerful new novel by coretta scott king honor book recipient jewell parker rhodes.