Always an Olivia: A Remarkable Family History

by Carolivia Herron

Other authors: Jeremy Tugeau (Illustrator)

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An elderly black grandmother passes on the story of the family�s Jewish origins to her young granddaughter, Carol Olivia. As family members flee the Spanish Inquisition, are kidnapped by pirates and eventually sail to America, one daughter in each generation is given the name Olivia, from the Hebrew Shulamit meaning �peace,� to honor the Jewish part of their ancestry. Critically-acclaimed author Carolivia Herron (Nappy Hair) shares this engaging, multicultural tale is based on her own family's heritage.… (more)

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The note at the end of the book explains that when the author's ancestor was saved from pirates, she was placed with the Geechees, free Blacks on Georgia Sea Island, because at that time, Jews were not considered to be "white." The author belongs to a synagogue in Washington, D.C., but there is no mention of whether she chose to connect to her Jewish heritage or if her predecessors all saw themselves as Jewish. In any case, there is a family custom to have someone named Olivia in each generation.

raizel | Apr 8, 2016 |

Carol Olivia visits her great-Grandmother and is told of her African American heritage and her Jewish ancestors. Woven throughout the stories she is told is the connection to family and Jewish identity.
Review by: Fiona

Scopuslrc | Sep 13, 2010 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Carolivia Herron	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Tugeau, Jeremy	Illustrator	secondary author	all editions	confirmed

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Jewish Identity

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An elderly black grandmother passes on the story of the family�s Jewish origins to her young granddaughter, Carol Olivia. As family members flee the Spanish Inquisition, are kidnapped by pirates and eventually sail to America, one daughter in each generation is given the name Olivia, from the Hebrew Shulamit meaning �peace,� to honor the Jewish part of their ancestry. Critically-acclaimed author Carolivia Herron (Nappy Hair) shares this engaging, multicultural tale is based on her own family's heritage.

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Jewish Identity - When Carol Olivia visits her great-grandmother, she learns some surprising stories about her family. She discovers the roots of her African American heritage and hears about the many adventures of her Jewish ancestors.

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