Book excerpt: The legend of the Yellow Rose of Texas holds an indisputable place in Lone Star culture, tethered to a familiar song that has served as a Civil War marching tune, a pop chart staple and a halftime anthem. The true story of Emily D. West remains mired in dispute and unrecognizable beneath the manipulative tales that grew up around it. Author Lora-Marie Bernard seeks an honest account honoring the grit and determination that brought a free black woman from the abolitionst riots of Connecticut to the thick of a bloody Texas revolution.