She, like other Mormons, believed that fostered children cry out to be fostered even before they are born. Elizabeth had joined Mormon Church where she found solace in denying her past mistakes. Kay's mother, Elizabeth, is no different, she immersed herself in faith as a coping mechanism to deal with the guilt of giving up her first-born child.

Jonathan then spends over two hours earnestly praying for Kay and claims he wants nothing to do with her, he considers her an iniquity that he has kept hidden for most of his life. The story begins with an intense scene when Kay meets her biological father, Jonathan, a born-again Christian who openly refers to her as a sin.

Religion and ethnicity play a major role in this book. Elizabeth was born and raised in a Catholic Community when bearing a child with an African man was considered unacceptable. If Jackie’s parents were of the same color of skin and had gotten married, then there would have been no great story to tell.īorn of a young nurse, Elizabeth, and a Nigerian student at Aberdeen University, Kay had to be given up for adoption to save the family's face. Using her wit, Jackie takes us through a long journey in place and time as she seeks to unravel the secrets of her past that would maybe help her better understand herself. Red Dust Roadis a biography by the renowned Scottish author Jackie Kay.

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Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay