Lalita Tademy

Lalita Tademy
Tademy during a presentation, 2015
Born	Lalita L. Tademy (1948-12-26) 26 December 1948 (age 75) Berkeley, California, US
Notable works	Cane River (2001)  Red River (2006)  Citizens Creek (2014)
Website
www.lalitatademy.com

Lalita Tademy (born 26 December 1948) is an American novelist, speaker, businesswoman, and critic who is regarded as one of the central figure in African feminism of African diaspora. Her first novel and magnum opus, Cane River (2001), focused on history and black women in the 1950s, and has shaped her perspective on the history of the United States. Along with Cane River, she has written Red River (2006) and Citizens Creek (2014). Her works are mostly historical non-fiction of feminist literature.

Born in Berkeley, California, Tademy's childhood was influenced during an era of slavery in the US. She started her honors program in Howard University in Washington DC and after two years, transferred to the University of California until her graduation in 1970, and masters degree in 1972. After leaving her position as the vice president of Sun Microsystems, Tademy began researching about her family history, which would later be turned into a book, Cane River, published in 2001, and garnered international attention. In less than eight years she would publish two other books.

Tademy's writings often explore themes of feminism and human relationships, particularly mother-child relationships. Her work has been recognized by various institutions, including the The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2001 and San Francisco Public Library's One City One Book selection in 2007. She has also participated in the National Book Festival in 2007 and 2015. From 2001 to 2015, her novel, Cane River, was a recommended reading for incoming students at Stanford University.