The Common Threads Trilogy

This closing volume follows a family whose roots run through two very different histories. The series begins with two lineages: one descended from people enslaved in Africa, the other from Scots who fled the potato famine. The Underground Railroad brings them together, and from that meeting grows a household made up of many backgrounds.

The middle installment moves the story to Philadelphia, Mississippi, where Liz and Joe Allen arrive to take up work they have long hoped for. They soon learn that the Klan is active in the area, and raising their children there brings a steady stream of hardships.

This final book jumps forward to 1970. The Allen household's story continues as the sons grow into adulthood, contending with sibling rivalry, questions surrounding homosexuality, and the racism that persists in Mississippi during those years.

The family later builds a potato farm and a golf course in Chatham, Ontario. Their success, the book suggests, rests on the values they share and on two cloths, a simple Scottish tartan and an African kente robe, which give the title its meaning.