Dagon

Book excerpt: Constance H. Porter grew up hearing stories about her family history. Her grandmother taught her about love, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness; these lessons became the foundation of the person she is today. In Dagon, Porter pays tribute to her grandmother, Dagon. This memoir narrates the grandmother’s life story, sharing how she got the name “Dagon.” Born in 1875, her parents died three years later, and she was adopted by an uncle. She lived through marriage to a conservative minister, cared for children, moved to a different state when her husband retired, and relocated across the nation after he died. She lived in her son-in-law’s house for more than twenty years. Despite the changes and challenges, Dagon never lost sense of who she was. Dagon chronicles the grandmother’s commitment to her values, ethics, and core beliefs and her never-failing demonstration of unconditional love.