Good story. Very well written. A main character that will stay with you. ( )

Ludelphia Bennett is worried about her mom. After several miscarriages, Mama finally seems to be carrying a baby to term. But she is coughing a lot and looking weaker every day. When the baby comes early, Ludelphia doesn't know what to do. She asks their neighbor, Etta Mae, for help. But Etta Mae has a bad reputation since she came back to the little town of Gee's Bend, and everyone thinks she made things worse instead of better. When Mama gets sicker and sicker after the birth, Etta Mae challenges ten-year-old Ludelphia to go for help--in the next town over. Does Ludelphia have what it takes to leave Gee's Bend and make it back?

There is more to little Ludelphia than you would think at first glance. She has lived in the microscopic town of Gee's Bend all her life, but out of love for her mother she is willing to journey alone to the next town. Of course she meets unforeseen obstacles along the way, but she ultimately meets them head-on with all the grace she can muster. She must be a beautiful quilter as well. Her quilting is what helps her to think clearly. She accumulates little pieces of cloth along the way to make a quilt for Mama when she gets better. Each piece will tell a part of the story of her journey.

I really liked the sense of community that the people of Gee's Bend shared. Of course they didn't all get along, but they looked out for each other and shared the little they had.

My one complaint isn't even about the book itself. I read the Author's Note as well, and apparently this book is loosely based around some true events in the town's history. I would have liked a little more of an explanation about what happened. I'm sure I can go look it up on Wikipedia or something, but it would have been nice to have it right there in the book.

For a story about a memorable character set in a small community, give this one a try. ( )

Ludelphia lives in Gee's Bend, an isolated community of share croppers in rural Alabama. Although her family struggles to make ends meet, Ludelphia finds joy in her stitching and in creating quilts that tell a story. When her mother becomes desperately ill, Ludelphia knows it's up to her to bring a doctor to Gee's Bend. Leaving her hometown for the first time in her life, Ludelphia ventures out with only her stitching in her pocket. Determined at first to save her mother, Ludelphia soon realizes that her entire community is in peril, and it's up to her to save them all. ( )

Ten-year-old Ludelphia Bennett has never stepped food out of her tiny hometown of Gee's Bend, Alabama. Honestly, she's never seen a reason to. Her family, her small community of sharecroppers, and her quilting are more than enough to keep her busy and happy right at home. Even though she's only got one working eye, Lu's a natural at stitching, though she doesn't always have the materials she needs for a good quilt. Mama says that every quilt tells a story, and Lu dreams of stitching a quilt that will tell a great story and make her mama smile.

Suddenly, though, things in Ludelphia's life go awry, and she finds her story changing in a big way. When Mama falls ill and is near death and the only advice forthcoming is to wait it out, Lu knows she can't just stand by and watch while her mama slips away. Soon she determines that the only way to save Mama is to leave Gee's Bend and travel to Camden in search of a doctor. Thus begins a journey fraught with danger but also with excitement during which Lu will meet both good and evil people and hopefully emerge on the other side with a better story for her quilt than she could have ever imagined.

Drawing inspiration from the real Gee's Bend's rich quilting history, Irene Latham has crafted a beautiful story of her own. Leaving Gee's Bend is a coming of age story set in a vividly drawn 1930s sharecropping community. In it, readers can find a realistic few of the hardscrabble lives lived by sharecroppers and the fine line between getting by and dire unsurvivable poverty. Ludelphia is a precocious and lovable narrator, always with the best of intentions, but occasionally getting into some scrapes due to her impulsiveness and trusting nature. Seeing her grow through her journey and collect the many experiences and pieces that will go into her quilt makes Leaving Gee's Bend a heartwarming story and a satisfying read. ( )

Very easy read that I picked up because of the quilters of Gees Bend and my interest in them. A simple story well told about the poorest of the poor of Gees Bend and their fears and realities. As a mother lays dying, her ten year old daughter ventures out of Gees Bend in search of a doctor. She finds more than the doctor there, learns about the big city and the "big" people too. Ultimately, a very predictable story, quickly read and somewhat interesting. ( )