Black Cherokee – Antonio Michael Downing

This is a book about belonging, identity and race. It is also a tender coming-of-age story. Ophelia is a mixed-race Black-Cherokee child of uncertain parentage, raised in South Carolina by her indominable grandmother. Ophelia’s lack of belonging is evident in her community where whe is neither Black or Cherokee, in her school, and in a devastating exposure to church hypocrisy. A chance listen to this author at the October WordFest has resulted in a very worthwhile read.