Bibb Country: Unearthing My Family Secrets of Land, Legacy—and Lettuce by Lonnae O’ Neal is a well-written, fascinating, poignant memoir. This book was a very interesting read that I really enjoyed. A huge thank you to Hyperion Avenue/Andscape, the author and NetGalley for the eARC of the book.

This captivating book is exploration of Bibb lettuce and the nearly 200 year Bibb family history, residing in Kentucky. Lonnae O’ Neal does an exceptional job of taking her readers back in time to compile together her genealogical family history against the vast, seriously complex history of America. She uncovers traumas and triumphs along her journey. Her incredible story is a mix of family, legacy, land, food history and growing Bibb lettuce.

To be Black in America is to grapple with identity and belonging. It is a fight for legacy and dignity. It is a reclamation of land, freedom and what’s rightfully ours.

Bibb Country by Lonnae O’Neal is an unusual and very interesting book about Bibb lettuce and the almost 200 history of the Bibb family, in Kentucky. Just as there are many kinds of lettuce, there are many kinds of people and races that make up the Bibb family genealogy. Salad toppings and slavers and family struggles get equal, and very interesting attention in this book. (And even manatees play a part in the history of Bibb lettuce.) The author truly poured her heart into this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andscape books for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.

This a moving story that defies categories, but that speaks from the heart and to the heart. Well written and impactful.