Kate's Pride is one woman's family history brought to life in novel form. Author Renee Russell took the very colorful and inspiring story of her ancestor, Kate Randsome, and wrote a novel based on the facts she was able to glean about her life.
Kate was a very tough and determined woman. Left pregnant by her unscrupulous boyfriend in post-Civil War Tennessee, she had to deal with the prejudices of a very conservative rural southern area. When even her sister turned against her, Kate was forced to take a job working for a sickly, elderly woman. Unfortunately, the elderly woman had a very randy son who took this opportunity to force himself on Kate, threatening her with ruin if she didn't comply. The result was a second fatherless child, another son.
Out on her own again, Kate tried to make peace with a sister still unwilling to bend. She ended up staying on with a former slave and her family. Though they had every reason not to take pity on her, the family was filled with charity. Kate had a safe haven in which to bear her second baby.
Ultimately Kate struck out on her own, sharecropping to make a living. She scraped by, through her own determination and the kindness of others, until one day a tragedy happened that came closer to devastating her than anything had done before. Still, even in the face of unimaginable loss Kate moves forward, head held high.
The story is told within the framework of a manuscript given from Kate to her son. She asks him to one day give the story to his own daughter, when she's older and ready to deal with the story of her grandmother. Kate feels it's important for her story to go forward, and it is absolutely important for stories like this not to be lost. Future generations deserve to know the struggles of their ancestors. It reminds them what sacrifices others have made so that they're able to live their own lives. Keeping these family stories alive is a very noble thing.
Kate's Pride is a good example of the sort of genealogical record we should all consider leaving as our legacy. Even if you don't know the stories of those who came before you, you know your own story, and that's one of the most important legacies all of us can leave.
ISBN: 1-59705-918-8
Karen, I know exactly what you mean. Though I've retained a lot of what I've heard of my own family history, I know I don't have a lot of the hard facts like dates, etc. Unfortunately, this sort of thing is generally something we learn later in life. When we're younger we don't think we'll care so much about history, but the closer we get to being "historical" ourselves the more we realize how much it all really means to us.
Posted by: Bluestalking Reader | March 06, 2007 at 03:10 PM
I often think of the family stories my grandmothers told me and I can't go back now to check the facts and fill in the bits I've forgotten. The feeling of lost history is acute. Write it down when you can!
Posted by: Karen | March 06, 2007 at 02:50 PM