Bibb Country: Unearthing My Family Secrets of Land, Legacy and Lettuce

Part memoir and part food history, Bibb Country explores Lonnae O’Neal’s journey as she learns more about her family’s history through the lens of the popular Bibb lettuce.

In Bibb Country, Lonnae O’Neal traces her family’s history back to the Bibb family farm in Kentucky. Starting with the history of Bibb lettuce and its popularity across the country, Lonnae uses DNA science, historical records, and interviews to bring the story of the Bibb family (both Black and white) to life. 

A mix of memoir, food history, and reportage, Bibb Country explores what it means to be descended from those enslaved by a family whose wealth and power helped build America, and faces the history that has echoed through a family’s generations, and by extension, all the generations of the United States.