404 Years

In the early seventeenth century, the sounds of the Atlantic whispering in her ears, Elizabeth Haney rides a ship bearing her from England to the burgeoning colony of Virginia, where she will join her husband, John. It is there that the two will begin a life free from the turmoil of the upheaval of the churches under the rule of King James. Although they don't know it yet, it is there that they will begin a family story of 404 years-and counting.

Historical records brought to life through engaging narrative prose, 404 Years follows the Haney, LeFevre, Beaman, and Stuteville ancestors of Cella Anne, from that first voyage in 1621. In this gripping, informative text, Cella especially gives voice to the women of her family, using research to inform imagined conversations between them as they live through historical moments such as the American Revolution and the abolition of slavery. Interspersed with these stories is Cella's own journey as she grows up in a U.S. Air Force family, leaves an abusive marriage, earns her Ph.D., and works for social justice.

Looking at what was built by those who came before us while recognizing privilege, 404 Years honours where we've come from and shows us that it's never too late to make decisions that will shape the future.