In Toni Morrison`s powerful 1977 novel, Milkman Dead hears a strange story: his father and his aunt Pilate witnessed their father`s murder, and Pilate has carried his bones around with her for 20 years. Milkman travels south to find that this grandfather (who fled slavery and escaped, creating a myth of flight) has been immortalized in folktales and songs. He and Pilate bury his bones at last; Pilate is killed; and Milkman is made free and powerful by his newfound connection to his ancestors. Winner of the 1978 National Book Critics Award. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.