Mama Flora's Family is a novel by Alex Haley

Alex Haley

Alexander Murray Palmer Haley was an African-American writer. He is best known as the author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family and the coauthor of The Autobiography of Malcolm X.-Early life:...

. The story begins with Flora, a daughter of poor black sharecroppers at her home in Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

. It was adapted as a television miniseries based on the novel.

Plot introduction

At a dance one night, she meets Lincoln, who wants her to come to his home to care for his elderly grandmother, Nana.

Plot summary

Flora became involved sexually (and, she thought, romantically) with Lincoln. She began to feel used by him, after experiencing him shun and shame her in front of his rich contemporaries. She finally refused to sleep with him anymore, which prompted her sudden eviction from the house. When it was found that she was pregnant with Lincoln's child, his rich family paid her to leave Mississippi to avoid scandal, and never come back. Flora took this offer, and planned to go to Memphis, Tennessee. She gave birth to the baby, a boy named Luke, which she then was forced to give to the Flemmings, Lincoln's family, to raise. On the train, a man tells her that a young thing like her should not venture into the city alone, and he points her to the small town of Stockton. There, the Reverend Jackson finds her shelter and a job.

In Stockton, she met Booker. The two fell in love and got married and had a child, Willy. Booker became a sharecropper soon after the marriage. Because of financial difficulties, at night, Booker needed to steal cotton from other farmers. One night, he was caught and shot in the head. Flora stayed with his body all night and buried him in the morning. Shortly after, Flora received news that her sister Jossie was ill and dying. Flora got to Jossie before the funeral, and took her child, Ruthana back with her to raise as her own daughter. Through the 1930s, Flora had to raise Willy and Ruthana. Then, when Willy got in a fight with some white boys, he needed to leave town, he went where Ruthana's father was, the big city, Chicago. On his first night there, Willy stayed with Georgy and his wife Elly. George showed him around showing him what bars were clean, and to avoid 42nd street and warned him of the dangers, and found Willy a stable job. One night however, Willy got in with the wrong crowd, and began to gamble and got hooked on marijuana. Eventually, he lost his home, and moved into a basement with his drug-dealing friend, Josh, who eventually was arrested. Then, Willy had to go back home. All this time that he was in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, he wrote his mother, Ruthana and Ernestine, his girlfriend, saying everything was fine. At the outbreak of World War II, Willy joined the army. When he came back, he proposed to Ernestine. The two become married, and move to Chicago. They have three children, the twins Don and Diana, and Booker.

During this time period, Ruthana was doing well in high School, and eventually got a scholarship to Fisk University. When Ruthana was in college, Flora decided to go back to Mississippi to find her other son, Luke. She went back to the Flemming Mansion, and found Bessie, the cook. Bessie gave Flora Luke's address so she could write to him. Instead of answering her letters, he came to find her. Luke had graduated from law school, and was joining the army. (When he came back, he opened a practice in Harlem.) He and Flora talked continuously before his departure back to his home.

After Ruthana graduates and takes a job as a social worker in Harlem, Willy and Ernestine call Flora asking for help. Ernestine was very sick and no doctor knew what was wrong. Willy needed help with the kids. Flora was delighted, it gave her something to do. However, Ernestine had an heart attack in her sleep and Diane found her dead in her bed.

Many more trials awaited Mama Flora's family over the years, but her strength enabled them to carry on in an inspiring tale of American strength and courage.