I belong to the "Open Gates" bookclub of Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC. Each month we select a work by an African American author to read and discuss. Sometimes we do not have sufficient copies of any one book and several are selected. This was one of the selections that fell into that category; with limited copies in the system, and I volunteered to read this selection. I am fascinated by self-discovery and love first person writing and narratives. Ms. Ione's book was extremely honest, and I admired her quest for her family's history of their women. She did not spare herself in that quest and the disclosure of some of the most intimate details of her own life was admirable. This is an important book because it reminds us that we are not apt to understand who we are unless we understand what made us, who made us, and those who came before us. Black folks are so involved in the daily struggle to survive, few of us have the luxury of contemplating who we are, and why we are. Thanks to Ms. Ione and all of her "sheroes". She reminded them, as well as herself, that the best of us are only human in our basic needs for affirmation.