Quilt of Souls

A Memoir

By: Phyllis Biffle Elmore

Narrated by: Phyllis Biffle Elmore

At age four, Phyllis Biffle Elmore was plucked off her front porch in Detroit and dropped on her grandmother Lula Horn's doorstep in rural Alabama. Phyllis felt utterly abandoned until Grandma Lula showed her both all-encompassing love and her intricate "Quilts of Souls." Phyllis listened intently as Lula told epic stories of folks who had passed on as she turned their clothing into breathtaking quilts for their families.

Grandma Lula's generosity of spirit, strong will, and creative soul animate each chapter, and through the quilts, she paints portraits of extraordinary Black women born before and after the Civil War. They are enslaved people, laundresses, storytellers, healers, and quilters whose stories have gone untold until now.

Beautifully written and brilliantly told, Phyllis weaves back and forth through time, piecing together true tales of racism, sexism, and colorism, but also strength and pride, creating a multigenerational patchwork honoring her family and ancestors. From the engaging narrative to the powerful history, Quilt of Souls is oral tradition written and preserved for posterity.

©2022 Phyllis Biffle Elmore (P)2023 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Terrific Story - Wonderfully Told

Nobody but Phyllis Biffle Elmore could have written (and read aloud) this book and I am so glad she did. I was completely engrossed in this story of her life and the lives of the amazing, strong women who played such an important part in her childhood. I was not ready for this book to end. I very highly recommend this book. I will be reading anything else she writes.

Epic Storytelling

As a Mississippi resident myself, Elmore’s stories touched my soul. As a professional working with young impoverished teens, the author’s family dynamic provided clarity and context for my child clients. As an American, the fact that the author is still very much with us in modern times serves as a reminder that the old south is not as distantly historical as we like to imagine.

A must read for all!

A must read for all! It's an honest story of hurt and forgiveness. Thank you for sharing your journey.

Heartfelt, beautiful, reverent story!

An intimate, reverent, story of a granddaughter’s love for her grandmother and all the compassionate life lessons.

wonderful story wrapped in a quilt

I thoroughly enjoyed that book and was sad when it ended. I looked for other books by this author but there aren't any.