"Thank you for being so transparent about revealing your personal life journey and the

 direct experiences that led you into searching out the roots of anxiety in your ancestral past. 

When I finished reading the Afterword yesterday, I ordered a copy for my sister so we can make 

comparisons with our life experiences and our own twisted roots."  R.G.W.

 

“What a wonderful story about one of your ancestors! Thank you for sharing it with me. Please keep me updated as more information becomes available. I do not say this lightly, but you might have the making of another book with this rascal as the main character.” JS

 

"The journey of a tender heart tangled in the dark roots of family and history. Herman-Gidden’s prose is honest and straightforward, laced with lyric images crafted from a poet’s insight. A journey worth

taking."  TT

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"I’m glad to have read this memoir—it is so deeply felt and yet so clearly and insightfully written. It’s a luminous account of a woman’s discovery of a horrifying ancestral heritage of enslavers in the Old South, and her ongoing struggle to reconcile the troubling legacy with her own lifelong dedication to civil rights and social justice. I highly recommend this lovely book.” LW

 

"Ahh, this is surely your métier! You have such an appealing way of drawing a reader in to see and appreciate the infinite beauty and complexity of the natural world through your informed and poetic point of view. This post has been a highlight of my week. I especially enjoyed the reference to Phoebe--you touched my curious bone and now I want to read more." LA

 

"I have been fascinated by the history of Birmingham as the epicenter of segregation and Jim Crow. What I have been surprised and charmed by is the intimate portrait of Marcia’s childhood, marriage, and motherhood and the influences that have made her who she is." SS

 

"I received your gorgeous and remarkable book last week. It's a truly extraordinary effort--a striking cover and really good typography to present your deep and tender and difficult writing. I'm saving it--sort of hoarding it. I started it, but I already don't want it to be over! " AL

 

"I love your book.  I am also an only child and was born in 1943 to parents that didn't work well together. In my case it was my father returning from WWII with PTSD and alcoholism. I was very insecure and wondered what life was all about so I relate to your feelings. Thanks so much for writing this........it's wonderful....."  JD

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"What a wonderful event last night. I am so pleased for you to have accomplished the publication of this marvelous book...quite an achievement. And it's a beautiful book as well, and I like the title. It is a very timely and important work."  MC

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"This book is SO important, from the perspective of four kinds of history all at once, and I know as a historian that very few people write books that do that: Racial history, southern history, civil rights history, and women’s history.  As a historian of southern women I MUST have it.  As your friend I MUST have it.  I will treasure it forever." CJ

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"You outdid yourself! Huge crowd, sold out books, and the presentation was clear and focused. Wonderful. The folks from New York were great and it's to your credit that they made the voyage here for the reading. We had a chance to talk to them for a while before things started, and found them to be gracious and interesting and your 94-year-old cousin was amazingly present and perky."  SS

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"I am so moved by your hard work and honesty in uncovering and sharing the truth of your ancestors' slaveholding activities. The truth shall set us free. Your work contributes to keeping the truth of our history alive."  BC

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This book by is beautifully written and quite engrossing. Somehow, she manages to write about complex and difficult times in a way that brings me along with her. Even though Marcia and I have known each other since I was a young teen, and she lived next door with her brood of beautiful children, this memoir is a window into a world I have never visited. I'm so glad to be taken on this history lesson by her eloquent storytelling. I highly recommend reading Unloose My Heart .  WD

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