For almost five millennia, in every culture and every major religion, indigo--a blue pigment obtained from the small green leaf of a parasitic shrub through a complex process that even scientists still regard as mysterious--has been at the center of turbulent human encounters. Indigo is the story of this precious dye and its ancient heritage ... But Indigo is also the story of a personal quest: McKinley's adoptive parents descend from a clan of Scots who wore indigo tartan as their virile armor; she's also the kin of several generations of Jewish "rag traders," the maternal granddaughter of a Massachusetts textile factory owner; and the paternal granddaughter of African slaves--her ancestors were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo, where a length of blue cotton could purchase a human life. McKinley's journey across the ancient trade routes of West Africa in search of this rare, luminous, and costly blue pigment--in search of beauty and her own history--ultimately leads her to a new and satisfying path, to finally 'taste life.'.

An invitation, Ghana -- A burning heart, Ghana -- Widow's blues, Ghana -- The road to Bobo-Dialousso, Burkina Faso -- The chanel of Africa, Ghana -- Amazons, wives of the gods, and Mama Benz, Ghana/Togo/Benin -- Not everything you can own, Ivory Coast -- The beautiful one, Ghana -- Mothers of ash, Nigeria -- Blue gold and concubines, Niger -- Divine sky, Senegal and New York City -- It's never late, New York City.