“Mama always said every
quilt tells a story. Every
piece of cloth, every stitch
and every bit of cotton
stuffed between the seams
tells a secret about the one
who made the quilt.”
- Ludelphia Bennett
Leaving Gee’s Bend
DISCUSSION GUIDE
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25179-5
About the Book
Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but that doesn’t mean she can’t put in a good
stitch. In fact, Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things are going wrong. But
when Mama gets deathly ill, it doesn’t seem like even quilting will help. Mama needs
medicine badly - medicine that can only be found in Camden, over forty miles away.
That’s when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic - leave Gee’s Bend.
Beyond the log cabins, orange dirt, and cotton fields of her small sharecropping
community, Ludelphia discovers a world she could never have imagined. Fancy houses,
cars, and even soda pop! But there’s also danger lurking for a young girl on her own, and
Ludelphia begins to wonder if she’ll ever see Gee’s Bend or her Mama again. Despite
the twists and turns, Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her
Mama proud, and may even save the day not just for Mama, but her entire town.
Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, Leaving
Gee’s Bend is a heart-touching tale of a young girl’s unexpected adventure.
Pre- reading Activity
_____________________
Quilting as Tradition
Quilts made in Gee’s Bend are
unlike any other quilts. View
quilts (see resources). Ludelphia
learns to quilt from her mother,
who learned from her mother, who
learned from her mother.
What is tradition? The handing
down of information, beliefs, or
customs by word of mouth or by
example from one generation to
another without written instruction.
What traditions do you have at
school? (i.e. assemblies, pajama
day, graduation ceremonies)
What traditions did your parents
learn from your grandparents?
What traditions have been
handed down to you?
JESSIE T. PETTWAY born 1929
Bars and string pieced columns
Questions for Discussion
1. Ludelphia uses pieces of cloth to tell her
story. What cloth would you use to tell your
story?
2. Gee’s Bend is an isolated place, and
Ludelphia has never been anywhere else. How
does this fact make it harder for her to leave?
3. Ludelphia worries that Mama’s illness is all
her fault because of the rumor about Etta Mae
being a “witch.” What happens that makes
Ludelphia believe the rumor is true?
4. How does Ludelphia’s blindness in one eye
affect her life?
5. Ludelphia thinks about all the things Mama
says. Do you think Mama gives good advice?
What advice does your mother give you?
6. Ludelphia can’t decide whether Mrs. Cobb
is good or bad. What does Mrs. Cobb do to
confuse her?
7. Ludelphia’s family are sharecroppers. How
is this different from slavery?
8. After Ludelphia loses her quilt top, she talks
about Etta Mae playing the piano “in her mind”
and decides to do the same thing with quilting.
Have you ever done something “in your mind?”
9. When Mrs. Cobb comes to Gee’s Bend to
collect, Ludelphia and Etta Mae do something
drastic to distract Mrs. Cobb. Does it help?
10. The Red Cross plays an important role in
the story. What other disasters do you know of
that the Red Cross has sent help?
11. What do you think Ludelphia’s next quilt
will look like? What story will it tell?
Activities
LANGUAGE ARTS
1. Think of a time when you or someone you know needed help. Write a letter to the
Red Cross or other social service agency to request their help.
2. Interview a grandparent about family traditions. Make connections about what
traditions have been abandoned and which ones are still being carried on.
MATHEMATICS
1. Many of the Gee’s Bend quilters used one geometric shape to form another. For
example, they used triangles or rectangles to make a square. Use the Gee’s Bend Quilt
Template (attached) and ask students to use crayons to create different shapes. Each
student’s square can then be used to create a classroom quilt.
SCIENCE
1. A “tessellation” is a continuous pattern of interlocking shapes with no spaces between
them. Quilts use them, and they are found in nature, in places such as honeycombs, fly
eyes, and tree bark. Think of other tessellations you have seen in nature. Also hunt for
manmade tessellations, such as ice cube trays, sidewalks, and chocolate bar squares.
HISTORY
1. Examine a map (attached) of Gee’s Bend and discuss how
the geographic isolation contributed to the development of this
community.
2. Draw a timeline of the important events in Ludelphia’s story.
ART
1. LEAVING GEE’S BEND was inspired by an art exhibit.
Visit a museum or examine museum books and have students write poems or stories
about a piece of art of their choosing. Then host a “Poetry and Paint” exhibition.
2. Examine the FSA 1937 photos from Gee’s Bend (see Resources) and write poems or
stories about the pictures.
MUSIC
1. The Gee’s Bend quilts are variations on traditional quilt patterns. Create variations in
music by listening to a familiar song, then dividing students into small groups or “bands.“
Ask each group to improvise this familiar tune by inventing sounds with their feet, hands,
or other instruments. Changing the words is also a from of improvisation. Discuss the
differences and similarities in each band’s variation.
About the Author
Irene Latham stitched her first
sewing card when she was four
years old. She lives in
Birmingham, Alabama, just 120
miles from Gee’s Bend. Her
mama always said, “err on the
side of love,” so she writes
about characters who do just
that. www.irenelatham.com
Additional Resources
BOOKS
Beardsley, John, and William Arnett, Paul Arnett, Jane
Livingston, Alvia Wardlaw The Quilts of Gee’s Bend,
Atlanta: Tinwood Books, 2002.
McKissack, Patricia Stitchin’ and Pullin’ a Gee’s
Bend Quilt, New York: Random House, 2008.
Pettway, Tinnie Gee’s Bend Experience, Birmingham:
That’s Sew Gee’s Bend, 2008.
WEBSITES
http://www.prairiebluff.com/blackbelt/geesbend.html
A brief history of Gee’s Bend
http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2000-Feature-Writing
2000 Pulitzer Prize winning story of Mary Lee
Bendolph’s life in Gee’s Bend, written by J.R.
Moehringer, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times
http://www.tinwoodmedia.com
Images of Gee’s Bend quilts and exhibitions
http://www.quiltsofgeesbend.com
Information about the quilt makers and the Quilter’s Collective
http://mathforum.org/pubs/boxer/student.tess
A fun explanation and demonstration of tessellations
http://memory.loc.goz/ammem/fsahtml/fachap05.html
FSA photographs of the Gee’s Bend community, taken in 1937
AUDIO
http://www.flypmedia.com/issues/09/#15/1
VIDEO
The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend: Alabama Public Television with Hunter Films, 2004.
Gee’s Bend Quilt Template
LEAVING GEE’S BEND
www.irenelatham.com
Map of Gee’s Bend
LEAVING GEE’S BEND
www.irenelatham.com
