The orphan mother : a novel
(Book)

In the years following the Civil War, Mariah Reddick, former slave to Carrie McGavock the "Widow of the South"-has quietly built a new life for herself as a midwife to the women of Franklin, Tennessee. But, as they are through much of the South, changes are sweeping through the town and coming for Mariah. In the years following the Civil War, Mariah Reddick, former slave to Carrie McGavock the "Widow of the South," has quietly built a new life for herself as a midwife to the women of Franklin, Tennessee. But changes are sweeping through the South, the town, and for Mariah. When her grown son Theopolis decides to speak at a political rally in town, a riot breaks out and he is murdered as he approaches the podium. Mariah must confront her own difficult truths-- and the conspiracy that resulted in her son's death may determine the fate of Tennessee itself.