Children of Dust

A Southern family's secrets echo through generations. In rural Alabama, 1873, Melinda Anderson struggles to give birth, attended by Annie-Mae, a part-Choctaw midwife. When the infant dies, suspicion falls on Betsy, Annie Mae's mixed-race daughter and mistress of Melinda's husband, Rafe, and Melinda herself, worn out by pregnancies and harboring anger. Seeking to clear her name, Melinda enlists a conjure woman, with tragic results.

In 2000, Seth Anderson researches his family history, uncovering a story that speaks beyond Southern history. As Seth searches for truth, he confronts his family's unwillingness to face the past and his own culpability. Barton's lyrical writing and unflinching honesty draw the reader back in time and place to actions taken that bear fruit through the generations.

For readers of Southern fiction, historical mysteries, and family sagas. Explores themes of race, forgiveness, and the enduring legacy of the Civil War.