Utilizes narratives, letters, interviews, public records, and diaries to explore the stories of separation of former slave families and their quest for reunification.

Fine black boy for sale : separation and loss among enslaved children -- Let no man put asunder : separation of husbands and wives -- They may see their children again : white attitudes toward separation -- Blue glass beads tied in a rag of cotton cloth : the search for family during slavery -- Information wanted : the search for family after emancipation -- Happiness too deep for utterance : reunification of families -- Epilogue. Help me to find my people : genealogies of separation.