American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama
Jun 2012 · Harper Collins
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413
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About this ebook
“Riveting . . . American Tapestry is not only the remarkable story of the First Lady’s family, but also a microcosm of this country’s story as well.” —USA Today
In this extraordinary feat of genealogical research—in the tradition of The Hemmingses of Monticello and Slaves in the Family—author Swarns, a respected Washington-based reporter for the New York Times, tells the fascinating and hitherto untold story of Ms. Obama’s black, white, and multiracial ancestors; a history that the First Lady herself did not know.
At once epic, provocative, and inspiring, American Tapestry is more than a true family saga; it is an illuminating mirror in which we may all see ourselves.
“The First Family becomes ever more fascinating—and ever more representative of the nation as a whole—in Rachel Swarns’s terrific investigation into the roots of Michelle Obama . . . This is a most compelling read and more evidence for our interconnectedness as a people.” —Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
“Rachel Swarns has not only excavated, with painstaking care, the family tree that is Michelle Obama’s, but, with great insight and beautiful prose, has revealed the complex, eye-opening, and disconcerting experiences that are America. This is a work of impressive historical imagination and deep cultural significance.” —Steven Hahn, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
“Richly detailed . . . A lushly layered portrait of the nation itself.” —The Boston Globe
“A fascinating account of the First Lady’s family . . . Few important women come from such raw places. The book makes you remember why the Obamas . . . seemed so new, so implausible . . . Extraordinary.” —The New York Times
In this extraordinary feat of genealogical research—in the tradition of The Hemmingses of Monticello and Slaves in the Family—author Swarns, a respected Washington-based reporter for the New York Times, tells the fascinating and hitherto untold story of Ms. Obama’s black, white, and multiracial ancestors; a history that the First Lady herself did not know.
At once epic, provocative, and inspiring, American Tapestry is more than a true family saga; it is an illuminating mirror in which we may all see ourselves.
“The First Family becomes ever more fascinating—and ever more representative of the nation as a whole—in Rachel Swarns’s terrific investigation into the roots of Michelle Obama . . . This is a most compelling read and more evidence for our interconnectedness as a people.” —Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
“Rachel Swarns has not only excavated, with painstaking care, the family tree that is Michelle Obama’s, but, with great insight and beautiful prose, has revealed the complex, eye-opening, and disconcerting experiences that are America. This is a work of impressive historical imagination and deep cultural significance.” —Steven Hahn, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
“Richly detailed . . . A lushly layered portrait of the nation itself.” —The Boston Globe
“A fascinating account of the First Lady’s family . . . Few important women come from such raw places. The book makes you remember why the Obamas . . . seemed so new, so implausible . . . Extraordinary.” —The New York Times
About the author
Rachel L. Swarns has been a reporter for the New York Times since 1995, reporting on domestic policy, the presidential campaigns of 2004 and 2008, the First Lady, and the modern American family. She has also worked for the New York Times in Russia, Cuba, and South Africa, where she served as the Johannesburg bureau chief. She lives in Washington, D.C.
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