{"product_id":"stories-my-grandmother-told-me-a-multicultural-journey-from-harlem-to-tohono-odham-9781947951426","title":"Stories My Grandmother Told Me: A Multicultural Journey from Harlem to Tohono O'Dham","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe illuminating and deeply personal debut from Gabriela Maya Bernadett, \u003ci\u003eStories My Grandmother Told Me \u003c\/i\u003eexplores culture, race, and chosen family, set against the backdrop of the twentieth-century American Southwest.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a hilly Southern California suburb in the late twentieth century, Gabriela Maya Bernadett listens as her grandmother tells her a story. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e It's the true story of Esther Small, the great-granddaughter of slaves, who became one of the few Black students to graduate from NYU in the 1940s. Having grown up in Harlem, Esther couldn't imagine a better place to live; especially not somewhere in the American Southwest. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But when she learns of a job teaching Native American children on a reservation, Esther decides to take a chance. She soon finds herself on a train to Fort Yuma, Arizona; unaware that each year, the Bureau of Indian Affairs kidnaps the native Tohono O'odham children from the reservation and forces them to be educated in the 'ways of the White man.' It doesn't take long for Esther to notice how Fort Yuma parallels her own grandmother's story as a slave in the South--the native children, constantly belittled by teachers and peers, are forced to perform manual labor for local farmers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e One of two Black people in Fort Yuma, Esther feels isolated, never sure where she belongs in a community deeply divided between the White people and the Tohono O'odhams. John, the school bus driver and Tohono O'odham tribe member, is one of the only people she connects with. Friendship slowly grows into love, and together, Esther and John navigate a changing America. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Seamlessly weaving in the present day with the past, \u003ci\u003eStories My Grandmother Told Me\u003c\/i\u003e blends a woman's memory of her life, and that woman's granddaughter's memories of how she heard these stories growing up. Bernadett's captivating narrative explores themes of identity, tradition, and belonging, showing what it really means to exist in a multicultural America.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e City Point Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/11\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781947951426\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 124\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.50d","brand":"Gabriela Maya Bernadett","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41574508757173,"sku":"9781947951426","price":12.74,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_1dd7e890-789d-49a5-8316-16ad7c9708ee.jpg?v=1643695270","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/stories-my-grandmother-told-me-a-multicultural-journey-from-harlem-to-tohono-odham-9781947951426","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}