Why am I passionate about this?

I first saw the quilts of Gee’s Bend at the Whitney Museum in New York. I was wowed! I viewed the quilts as works of art and included some in a book I was doing, Art Against the Odds: From Slave Quilts to Prison Paintings. But I wanted to show and tell more about the quilters. Who were these women who dreamed up incredible designs and made art out of scraps despite their poverty and hard lives? Since I never quilted I had to find out how they did it, and realized that quilting not only produced covers for their families, but expressed individual creativity, and brought women together.


I wrote

Book cover of The Quilts of Gee's Bend

What is my book about?

In the rural community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, African American women have been making quilts for generations. These women, descended…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Talking to Faith Ringgold

Susan Goldman Rubin Why I love this book

Faith Ringgold, an acclaimed Black artist who grew up in Harlem, tells about her childhood and explains the process of creating her extraordinary painted quilts such as Tar Beach, Sonny’s Quilt, and Dancing at the Louvre. Each tells a story. “When I was starting out,” she wrote, “there were hardly any galleries that showed the work of black women, or women at all.”  Her quilts are now housed in museums and public collections nationwide. Full-color reproductions of her work, as well as vintage photos, illustrate this inspiring book.

By Faith Ringgold ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Talking to Faith Ringgold as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In her own words, here is a conversational account of Faith Ringgold's life and work--in an innovative, interactive format. Presented in short sections, such as "Introducing Myself," "Growing Up," and "Being an Artist," the author and illustrator comments on her achievements, how she developed her style, and what some of her works mean to her. Ideal for use in the classroom or at home, the book also contains suggestions for activities and projects.


Book cover of Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

Susan Goldman Rubin Why I love this book

Clara’s story is powerful and suspenseful. Written in the first person, she tells about her life as an enslaved twelve-year-old girl who has been separated from her Momma and sent from North Farm to the Home Plantation. Although this is fiction, it is based on the history of African American quilters. For Clara, quilting means drawing a map with stitches and fabric that ultimately becomes a “freedom map,” enabling her to escape with her friend, Young Jack, and find her Momma and freedom.  The warm, luminous illustrations by James Ransome bring Clara, Young Jack, and her map to life. Ransome visited a plantation in Virginia for research, and in the process he discovered enslaved ancestors. This book is a must for readers of all ages.

By Deborah Hopkinson , James E. Ransome (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An inspiring tale of creativity and determination on the Underground Railroad from Coretta Scott King Award winner James Ransome and acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson.

Clara, a slave and seamstress on Home Plantation, dreams of freedom—not just for herself, but for her family and friends. When she overhears a conversation about the Underground Railroad, she has a flash of inspiration. Using scraps of cloth from her work in the Big House and scraps of information gathered from other slaves, she fashions a map that the master would never even recognize. . . .

From the award-winning author-illustrator team of Deborah Hopkinson…


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Book cover of The Pianist's Only Daughter: A Memoir

The Pianist's Only Daughter by Kathryn Betts Adams,

The Pianist's Only Daughter is a frank, humorous, and heartbreaking exploration of aging in an aging expert's own family.

Social worker and gerontologist Kathryn Betts Adams spent decades negotiating evolving family dynamics with her colorful and talented parents: her mother, an English scholar and poet, and her father, a pianist…

Book cover of Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt

Susan Goldman Rubin Why I love this book

Patricia McKissack introduces the quilts of Gee’s Bend to young readers in this charming picture book. McKissack not only read about Gee’s Bend but she visited and learned how to quilt. Her text is written in poems that capture the lilt and rhythm of Gee’s Bend women. The speaker, “Baby Girl,” describes how she learned how to quilt from her grandma. The soft, painterly illustrations by Cozbi A. Cabrera resemble Gee’s Bend quilts, and depict the colorful scraps of material the women used. The story includes the visit of Dr. Martin Luther King to “the Bend” on his way to Camden, then Selma, to march for the right to vote. And the aftermath of that march. A superb picture book full of history and hope for readers of all ages.

By Patricia McKissack , Cozbi A. Cabrera (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stitchin' and Pullin' as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

This collection of poems that tell the story of the quilt-making community in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, is now available as a Dragonfly paperback.
 
For generations, the women of Gee’s Bend have made quilts to keep a family warm, as a pastime accompanied by sharing and singing, or to memorialize loved ones. Today, the same quilts hang on museum walls as modern masterpieces of color and design. Inspired by these quilts and the women who made them, award-winning author Patricia C. McKissack traveled to Alabama to learn their stories. The lyrical rite-of-passage narrative that is the result of her journey seamlessly…


Book cover of The Quilts of Gee’s Bend

Susan Goldman Rubin Why I love this book

I used this adult coffee table book as a main reference for writing my children’s book of the same title. The amazing reproductions of the quilts are beautiful. The colors glow. I could see the bits of patterns –flowers, triangles, plaids – ingeniously composed like abstract paintings. Captions give the names of the quilters.  And there are photos of them as well as vintage pictures. Quotes from the quilters tell their histories. One of the most touching stories was by Missouri Pettway who told that when her Daddy died her mother took his old work clothes to make a quilt “to remember him, and cover-up under it for love.” I have seen this extraordinary quilt displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and remembering the story behind it, was deeply moved.

By William Arnett , Alvia Wardlaw , Jane Livingston , John Beardsley , Paul Arnett

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Quilts of Gee’s Bend as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Since the 19th century, the women of Gee’s Bend in southern Alabama have created stunning, vibrant quilts. Beautifully illustrated with 110 color illustrations, The Quilts of Gee’s Bend includes a historical overview of the two hundred years of extraordinary quilt-making in this African-American community, its people, and their art-making tradition. This book is being·released in conjunction with a national exhibition tour including The Museum of Fine Art, Houston, the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Museum of Fine Art, Boston, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Milwaukee Art Museum, The High Museum of Art, Atlanta,…


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Book cover of Kelvoo's Testimonial

Kelvoo's Testimonial by Phil Bailey,

The aftermath of human first contact, written from the extraterrestrial's perspective.

Kelvoo is overcome with wonder at the arrival of the humans. With flawless memories and innate curiosity, Kelvoo’s community embraces the benevolent humans and their knowledge of the boundless universe beyond the cloud-covered sky. After the departure of the…

Book cover of Gee's Bend: The Women and Their Quilts

Susan Goldman Rubin Why I love this book

This huge volume was another reference book for me as I researched The Quilts of Gee’s Bend.  The large reproductions of the quilts showed how the women with the same material used it in different waysStartling to see so many imaginative versions of a pattern called Housetop. Two quilts titled Flower Garden shown side by side are dazzling. And this book contains more photos of the quilters and provides information about their lives and struggles against poverty and racism. The art they produced despite their limited resources and hardships is truly an inspiration. A miracle!

By William Arnett (editor) , Alvia Wardlaw (editor) , Jane Livingston (editor) , John Beardsley (editor)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Gee's Bend as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Hardcover Book


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of The Quilts of Gee's Bend

What is my book about?

In the rural community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, African American women have been making quilts for generations. These women, descended from enslaved relatives, worked in the fields along with the men, but thought and dreamed about their quilts. Taught by their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts, the women used scraps of old overalls, aprons, bleached flour sacks –-anything they could find. They transformed the bits and pieces into spectacular patterns with vibrant colors.

The quilts did more than keep their families warm. They told stories. The women never thought of themselves as artists, but in 2002, a collector discovered their work and arranged for the quilts to be shown in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Now the quilts are treasured as works of modern art.

Book cover of Talking to Faith Ringgold
Book cover of Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Book cover of Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt

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Interested in Alabama, African Americans, and quilting?

Alabama 71 books
African Americans 826 books
Quilting 7 books