This month we will be reading Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd.
\nThe year is 1739. Eliza Lucas is sixteen years ol d when her father leaves her in charge of their family's three plantations in rural South Carolina and then proceeds to bleed the estates dry in pur suit of his military ambitions. Tensions with the British\, and with the S panish in Florida\, just a short way down the coast\, are rising\, and sla ves are starting to become restless. Her mother wants nothing more than fo r their South Carolina endeavor to fail so they can go back to England. So on her family is in danger of losing everything.
\nUpon hearing how much the French pay for indigo dye\, Eliza believes it's the key to their salvation. But everyone tells her it's impossible\, and no one will share the secret to making it. Thwarted at nearly every turn\, even by her own f amily\, Eliza finds that her only allies are an aging horticulturalist\, a n older and married gentleman lawyer\, and a slave with whom she strikes a dangerous deal: teach her the intricate thousand-year-old secret process of making indigo dye and in return--against the laws of the day--she will teach the slaves to read.
\nSo begins an incredible story of love\, dangerous and hidden friendships\, ambition\, betrayal\, and sacrifice.
\nBased on historical documents\, including Eliza's letters\, this is a historical fiction account of how a teenage girl produced indigo dye\, w hich became one of the largest exports out of South Carolina\, an export t hat laid the foundation for the incredible wealth of several Southern fami lies who still live on today. Although largely overlooked by historians\, the accomplishments of Eliza Lucas influenced the course of US history. Wh en she passed away in 1793\, President George Washington served as a pallb earer at her funeral.
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