In a book dedicated to the author Carol Wilson-Mack’s fraternal and maternal grandmothers born in the 1800s, PATCHWORK: Conversation Between Generations inspires intergenerational dialog about all subjects, big and small, comfortable and painful. It is a fascinating look at African Americans born during a time that the institution of slavery was purportedly on its way out, with both grandmothers believing strongly in teaching the coming generations about the value of God. The reality living under burdens of racism are not shied away from, but by following Divine guidance, these women recognized the importance of supporting and nourishing one’s family–as well as the families of neighbors–no matter what challenges arose.
Meanderingly told (with some typos and spelling and grammatical errors sprinkled throughout), the autobiographical tale explores the gift of a group of rural South Carolina grandparents, sisters, daughters, wives, and aunts coming together to deal with whatever Life throws at them while offering each other prayers, advice, and assistance as needed, under the auspices of Ma Anna (grandma Anna Kirkland-Wilson) and Ms. Carrie (grandma Carrie Nimmons-Dickerson). In slightly syncopated language, stories and questions regarding the nature of Life unfurl in a warm, kind, honest zone of women working on quilts while children fetch scissors, straight pins, and pin cushions, thread needles and clean eyeglasses, all while absorbing the talk taking place around them. Questions such as why these people call white people ‘people,’ while white people call them ‘animals’ are shared, and problems such as targeted rape by white men of authority and the bullying of subsequent mixed-race offspring are addressed. Not that it’s really Ma Anna or Ms. Carrie who are “doing the ‘doing'” of confronting such issues. They are only God’s hands, mouth, and feet acting on this earthly plane as divinely guided. The real long-term solver of problems is always the Great Helper from Above. So drowning in negativity is not allowed during these patchworking circles. Mostly the women’s attention remains focused on infusing oodles of love into bits of cloth they are stitching together into blankets meant to provide winter warmth for those they most care about, and this is how a community laden by an unjust system of oppression manages to survive. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe” Prov. 18:10.
PATCHWORK: Conversation Between Generations by Carol Wilson-Mack is a charming book of authentic stories relayed from an earlier era concerning rampant racism (which still exists today) and an affected extended family who trusts in the Lord that there is a larger picture at play, as they struggle to love each other and endure.
~C.S. Holmes for IndieReader