59 pages • 1 hour read
Red River
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Red River is a 2008 novel of historical fiction by Lalita Tademy, largely based on the history of her father’s family. Previously, Lalita Tademy wrote Cane River, which was selected for Oprah’s Book Club and is another historical fiction book, this one based on her maternal relatives. Red River takes place over almost 50 years, following four generations of the Tademy family. The central event in the book is the Colfax Massacre, a true to life event that happened on Easter Sunday in 1873. The first half of the book focuses on the events leading up to this massacre, which resulted in the murders of over 150 black men while they attempted to defend the Colfax courthouse from the White League, which would become the Ku Klux Klan. The second half of the book explores the impact of this massacre on the black community in and around Colfax, focusing on the Tademy family. Throughout the book, the author includes real letters, newspapers, and photographs of the period, giving deeper context to the events.
Plot Summary
The novel follows four generations of the Tademy family, who live in The Bottom, a black community close to the town of Colfax, Louisiana.
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