The Two Lives of Sara
Book Feature - The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West
HBL Note: I get a special thrill from featuring Chicago authors. Although Catherine and I have not had the privilege of meeting in real life (yet), I’m sure our paths will cross at a book festival or book store one of these days. This is Catherine Adel West’s second novel, she published Saving Ruby King in 2020 and it was named Most Anticipated Book of the year by Ms. Magazine, USA Today Book Riot, The Rumpus, Library Journal, PureWow, The Every Girl, Parade and more.
THE TWO LIVES OF SARA primarily takes place in Memphis during the 1960s at a boarding house (although there are references to our protagonist Sara King’s past in Chicago, which she’s trying to outrun.) With themes of hope, resilience, and unexpected love, this novel is sure to take its readers on an emotional journey we won’t soon forget. Don’t you just love a book that lingers in your mind long after you turned the last page?
"A heartfelt story of family, community, and the secrets that won't turn us loose. Through complex characters, exquisite detail, and rich language, West explores the impossible choices we make to protect those we love. A stunning journey of a mother's love and sacrifice." —Nancy Johnson, author of The Kindest Lie
Book Feature - The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West
Book Feature - The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West
From the publisher:
Sara King has nothing, save for her secrets and the baby in her belly, as she boards the bus to Memphis, hoping to outrun her past in Chicago. She is welcomed with open arms by Mama Sugar, a kindly matriarch and owner of the popular boardinghouse The Scarlet Poplar.
Like many cities in early 1960s America, Memphis is still segregated, but change is in the air. News spreads of the Freedom Riders. Across the country, people like Martin Luther King Jr. are leading the fight for equal rights. Black literature and music provide the stories and soundtrack for these turbulent and hopeful times, and Sara finds herself drawn in by conversations of education, politics and a brighter tomorrow with Jonas, a local schoolteacher. Romance blooms between them, but secrets from Mama Sugar’s past threaten their newfound happiness with Sara and Jonas soon caught in the crosshairs, leading Sara to make decisions that will reshape the rest of their lives.
Book Feature - The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West
