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Book Summary and Reviews of The Ties That Bind by Bertice Berry

The Ties That Bind by Bertice Berry

The Ties That Bind

A Memoir of Race, Memory and Redemption

by Bertice Berry

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  • Published:
  • Feb 2009, 224 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

When novelist Bertice Berry set out to write a history of her family, she initially believed she’d uncover a story of slavery and black pain, but the deeper she dug, the more surprises she found. There was heartache, yes, but also something unexpected: hope. Peeling away the layers, Berry came to learn that the history of slavery cannot be quantified in simple, black-and-white terms of “good” and “evil” but is rather a complex tapestry of roles and relations, of choices and individual responsibility.

In this poignant, reflective memoir, Berry skillfully relays the evolution of relations between the races, from slavery to Reconstruction, from the struggles of the Civil Rights movement and the Black Power 1970s, and on to the present day. In doing so, she sheds light on a picture of the past that not only liberates but also unites and evokes the need to forgive and be forgiven.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Berry's competently researched book, with its sprinklings of history, folklore and scripture along with a motivational thrust .... provide an accessible, readable introduction [to the history of this period]." - Publishers Weekly.

"Berry continues to demonstrate an uncanny aptitude for weaving African-American history into entertaining, empowering stories both fictional and personal." - Kirkus Reviews.

"Reminiscent of Edward Ball's Slaves in the Family. ... Historians and the general public will love this provocative story." - Library Journal

This information about The Ties That Bind was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Accountantbyday

Amazingly Beautiful and Educational
Sometimes I am struck by the racism I feel from minority groups, so I have been searching to understand more. This book helped me to feel the emotional pain that began so long ago and continues today. It helped me understand that there is currently both an culture strength and suppression.

The author has such character - a real life role model. I felt uplifted by her stories and ability to forgive and love again. As she expressed every chapter, I wanted her to know how truly beautiful she is.

This book is my favorite; one that I plan to listen to every couple of years. There is so much information, that I plan to read it several times to fully let it impact my life. I will recommend it to others of all walks of life, so that we may all stand up for ourselves and others. Right now my husband is reading it. It is also a wonderful topic for high school students, book readings or just self-development.

Best of all - the history, stories and expression were not only inspiring but also crying, laughing hopeful entertainment.

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More Information

Berry notes that this memoir is an act of contrition to the memory of a Delaware plantation owner whose name she "tried to tarnish" in her novel Redemption Song. When she named the evil slave owner, she gave him the name of the man who owned the plantation that her family had lived on, even though Berry's mother had told her that "Granddaddy said John Hunn was a good man," - a claim that Berry met with disbelief. As Berry later discovered, the historical Hunn was "a Quaker who risked life and limb in the fight for abolition" and "the southernmost conductor of the Underground Railroad."

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