This book tells the fact-based story of Emily Morgan/West, the African-American woman who inspired the world-famous folk song that lends this graphic novel its title. Though almost everyone in America has heard the song, few are aware that the yellow rose of Texas it pays tribute to was a woman by the name of Emily. Her story, which has varied in the telling over the past 175 years, reveals the Texas war for independence through the eyes of a black woman who survived the Alamo and played an important part in winning the day–and the war–at San Jacinto a month and a half later. Though the story of Texas is told here with faithful attention to historical detail, the story of Emily is elevated to a romantic myth that will engage readers of all ages.