I bought this book at a charity shop in Oakville, Ontario to help me with a 50 States (USA) reading challenge. I had to make a snap decision and bought it without knowing anything about it other than the fact that it's set in Louisiana, but it seems like this particular copy of the book has been on quite a journey already.

I don't know how this book got to the Oakville charity shop, but it has definitely passed through at least a couple sets of hands before coming into mine. Stickers and stamps indicate that it was sold as a used textbook at both University of Mississippi and San Diego State University-- both of which are a long way from here! There are a number of stickers on it so it could have passed through other places as well, but those are the easily identifiable ones. It's still in good shape considering how much travelling it must have done before now!

This seems like it will be an emotionally difficult read, at least at times, but it also seems like it will probably be a pretty good choice for my Louisiana book-- especially having been chosen with no information at all except the geographic setting!

Wow. I've finished reading this book, and it is quite the saga! I found it fascinating and read it cover to cover within a couple of days. Sometimes I found it quite beautiful, although, as expected there are some parts that are difficult to read. This book is technically fiction, but it's based on thorough historical research and family stories passed down through generations, as the woman who wrote it is a descendant of the women in the story. Knowing that made the read all the more remarkable for me, though also more tragic at times. I really enjoyed the inclusion of photos and images of old documents as well. I'm glad to have read this book.

Now that it's 2024 and my US Reading Challenge is behind me (I'm on to the countries of Europe this year), I'm trying to release my USA books and move them along to new readers. I thought a Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen location would be a good spot to leave my Louisiana book, and as this location is near a few post-secondary institutions-- University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier University, and the Waterloo campus of Conestoga College-- it seemed like a good spot for this copy, given its past.

I left it on one of the red stools near the door while waiting for my order tonight.

If you've found this book, thanks for picking it up and checking out its journal! If you're new to bookcrossing, welcome. We'd love it if you'd stick around with us a while. I really hope that you enjoy both this book and the whole bookcrossing experience!