Robin M. Boylorn Boeken

"A multi-generational story of growing up black and female in the rural South. This book captures the artistry, strength, hope, sound, language, and creativity shared by first-hand accounts of black women in a familial village community in North Carolina. Sweetwater is about the black female experience as it relates to friendship, family, spirituality, poverty, education, addiction, mental illness, romantic relationships, raising children, and everyday survival. Written from field notes and memory, the author combines narrative and autoethnography to weave her own experiences as a rural black girl into the story, revealing the complexities of black women's lived experiences and exposing the communicative and interpersonal choices black women make through storytelling. Narrative inquiry and black feminism are offered as creative educational tools for discussing how and why black women's singular interior lives are culturally and globally significant"--Publisher description.

Focusing on the complexities of growing up as a black female in the rural South, the author blends narrative and autoethnography, drawing from personal memories and field notes. This multi-generational story highlights the unique experiences of black women, illustrating their communicative and interpersonal choices through the art of storytelling. The book offers a profound exploration of identity, culture, and resilience within a specific historical and social context.