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Picture
Gather the midnight strands,
tend the roots that gave you life,
weave hopes into pathways--
paths that lead you home.


Day after day, Nemy sows seeds, pulls weeds, and strips leaves in the sugarcane plantation where she is enslaved. But one night, she follows a woman called Big Mother to a hidden shack. There, she finds a group of women braiding each other’s hair. But these are no ordinary braids. Hidden in each elaborate pattern is a secret—a message signaling their intent to flee and a map to guide them in their escape. Will the paths these courageous women weave bring Nemy to a new home where she can be free? 


A picture book of love, liberation, and legacy inspired by the true story of enslaved African women in Colombia braiding maps to freedom.

NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE
Kirkus Review

Lantana Publishing: Freedom Braids




 
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"I aim to help cultivate a child's understanding of themselves, their communities and the world around them."
​                                                                   - Monique Duncan

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