Slue Foot
She is the epitome of resilience in the face of multiple systemic obstacles, including poverty and racism. This is a must read!
***
Totally different from my life but relatable on so many levels. I also graduated 1964. I had a very strict father and two older sisters who rebelled. There was constant tension as a result and outcomes like the author described.
I reacted similarly to the author, I figured out how to lessen the drama and was accorded more freedom.
Kudos to her for a beautiful book we can all benefit from reading.
Kitty.E.
Slue Foot
A Black Girl Grows up in Midwest America
A memoir of talent, courage, and determination.
A young Black girl moves from Mississippi to rural Illinois with her 14 siblings in the 1950s. How this determined girl carved out a space for herself and thrived in the midst of family strife and racial discrimination.
Margaret was always a leader, despite being a girl, Black, and poor. One of 15 children, she learned resilience as a youngster. When her family moves to a small city in Southern Illinois, Margaret soon feels the sting of racial discrimination, unwanted sexual advances, sees her physical ‘flaws,’ and struggles under the strict rules set by her authoritarian father. She emerges as an astute frontrunner who shows exceptional academic, literary and musical talent.
Above all, she never considers herself a victim. Instead, she moves on and advances to greater heights, setting an example for women everywhere.
I realized that there were some things I could change and some things I could not.
I could change my “slue feet.”
Interesting Fact:
Slue Foot is Margaret’s first book. Her daughter, Lauren, who lives in the Netherlands published a children’s book, Grace and the Flag, the same week as Slue Foot.
Margaret Edwards
Margaret was one of 15 children who migrated as a family from Mississippi to rural Illinois in the 1950s. They were part of the Black migration from the South to the North. Most people moved to the larger cities like Chicago and Detroit, but Margaret’s father had other ideas and moved to Mt. Vernon , IL.
Margaret dealt with family strife and racial discrimination with determination and purpose.
With a PhD. in hand, she spent 30 years of her life working in International Schools including India, Sudan and Paraguay.
In each location, she followed her love for music and theater.
Margaret now resides in Florida with her husband.
Read More About Margaret in Villages-News.
