Golden Poppies is the third novel in a beautiful trilogy by Laila Ibrahim.  The 3 novels follow the saga of a disparate family of both African American and white characters - laced together by a golden thread of a mother's love and the conviction that slavery and the oppression of minorities and women is morally wrong.
Set against the backdrop of post-civil war America, Golden Poppies brings together the mothers, daughters, fathers and sons - survivors of the civil war, as they struggle to find true emancipation from the political unrest of the mid-nineteenth century.  Clinging to their background in farming  and searching for gainful employment, the families are amazed by the advent of the Railroad. They joined the flight of middle class Americans to the promises of a more liberal democracy in California.  The characters seek out and support one another in their struggles with bigotry, racism, abuse, and women's and black suffrage movement.
Golden Poppies is a heart-rending, stand-alone story featuring 4 generations of these wonderful characters.  They are bound together by prayer and a shared faith in God, originated from the mother's love and courage of a slave girl in Virginia.  Moving forward, the characters are inspired by the seasonal blooming of the Yellow Crocuses, the representation of faith provided in Mustard Seeds, and in the recurring promise of the Golden Poppies of California.   
I truly loved all 3 of Leila Ibrahim's novels and highly recommend them to anyone interested in historical fiction. As a grandmother, I am looking forward to sharing these novels with my own children.  The books brilliantly illustrate the bonding between mothers and their children.  Readers can't help but appreciate the legacy of good and bad moral values that are handed down from one generation to the next.  Additionally, the story line demonstrates the strength of character it takes to reject bad family traditions, and stand up for what you believe is right. I know this book will cultivate many conversations within my own family, of how faith in God, and a mother's love transcends all generations to further the good of humanity in this world.