Mama Rose Author:Bernadene High Coleman Mama Rose. This is a story based on the extraordinary lives of the author's great grandparents. Rose was a run-away, orphaned Negro girl who was taken in by an unusual family, following the end of the Civil War. Jesse Ford was a white, Ex-Union soldier who went south after the war to take advantage of the dirt-cheap prices of land and pl... more »antations during the agricultural depression caused by the aftermath of the war. Disliked intensely by whites, he was forced to turn to Negro families for assistance. It was through this alliance that he became friendly with the family of the beautiful, young black girl, Rose. Although Rose never learned to read or write, she was a successful business woman. Their friendship culminated into love and marrage. Their union was an insult for both the Negro and white communities. Plans were carefully made and executed to break the bonds of this unholy marrage. Mama Rose is the story of this young couple's courage in the face of storms, floods, crop failure, the untimely death of a son, and even government deceit. This novel depicts the human condition against the backdrop of The Reconstruction and Economic Depression after the Civil War. This uncommon and tender love story details how love, endurance, strength and hard work triumphs over hate.« less