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What They Never Told Us: True Stories of Family Secrets and Hidden Identities Revealed
by Gail LukasikFrom acclaimed bestselling author of White Like Her: My Family's Story of Race and Racial Passing, comes a brand new collection of stories of people uncovering their past.What They Never Told Us tells the stories of ordinary people who made extraordinary, life-changing discoveries about their parentage and/or race and ethnicity that fractured their identities. The book asks the big questions: Who are we? And what is family? Blending social history and personal narratives, each story delves into the devastating psychological trauma of uncovering a hidden family secret with all the twists and turns of a mystery novel from how the discovery was made; to why it was kept secret; to the arduous, sometimes disappointing, quest to find the biological parent or parents. To fully understand the secrecy surrounding these family secrets, the book examines pre-WWII and post-WWII attitudes toward infertility, adoption, donor conception, race and racial passing, and unmarried pregnant women. Prefacing these harrowing narratives is the author's own confusing and sometimes painful journey to redefine her racial identity under the spotlight of public opinion. Searingly raw and honest, What They Never Told Us tells the stories that were never meant to be heard.
What This River Keeps: A Novel (Break Away Bks.)
by Greg SchwippsThe moving story of a Midwestern family fighting to preserve their ties to the land and to each other: &“Bears comparison to the best work of Steinbeck&” (Kent Haruf, author of Plainsong). In the rolling hills of southern Indiana, an elderly couple copes with the fear that their river bottom farm—the only home they&’ve ever known—will be taken from them through an act of eminent domain. The river flowing through their land, where the old man has fished nearly every day of his life, may be dammed to form a reservoir. Their son, meanwhile, sinks deeper into troubles of his own, struggling to determine his place in a new romantic relationship and the duty he owes to his family&’s legacy. What This River Keeps is a heartfelt novel about what it means to love a place and a family, and the sometimes staggering cost of that love. &“Like the best work of Richard Russo, Greg Schwipps lushly creates the depth and breadth of a single community with absorbing detail, a refreshing keenness and lyric kind-heartedness. These are likeable, imperfect people, beautifully drawn, living without pretense in what they want from the world.&” —Tom Chiarella, fiction editor of Esquire Magazine
What Time is Noon?: Hilarious Texts, Ridiculous Feedback, and Not-So-Subtle Advice from Teenagers
by Chip LeightonFrom the TikTok creator of “Texts from my College Freshman” comes a collection celebrating the humor of the modern teenager. Chip Leighton started performing online as a lark, and not because he “craved validation through TikTok” as his daughter claimed (with snark). When sharing the funny, weird, crazy things his kids said and texted, he quickly learned he was not alone. Since launching, his channel has become the go-to support group for adults who have teenagers in their lives—wholly confirming that teens everywhere say the darndest things. Parents worldwide use Leighton’s posts to laugh, commiserate, and share their own kids’ classics, like “what time is noon” or “do I have medicare?” What a relief to learn that it’s perfectly normal for teens to roast their parents mercilessly (“Don’t wear mom jeans to my school again”) or ask wild questions (“where do I buy pasta water”). In this debut collection, Leighton showcases these gems, along with tongue-in-cheek advice, charts and graphs, and silly quizzes. For readers who appreciate the real-life humor of books like Sh*t My Dad Says or the standup of family-friendly comedians like Jim Gaffigan or Nate Bargatze, this book is the ultimate gift for parents, kids, or anyone who likes to laugh.
What To Consider if You're Considering College — Knowing Your Options
by Ken S. Coates Bill MorrisonGoing to college used to be a passport to future success, but that's no longer the case. For some students, it's still a good choice that leads to a successful career after graduation, but for many their degrees are worthless pieces of paper. Choose the wrong program and graduation is more likely to lead to disillusionment and debt than a steady paycheque. Yet parents, guidance counselors, and politicians still push higher education as if it's the only option for building a secure future. In this book, Ken S. Coates and Bill Morrison set out to explore the many educational opportunities and career paths open to Canadian high-school students and those in their twenties. This book is designed to help young adults decide whether to pursue a degree, enrol for skills training, or investigate one of the many other options that are available. In this special excerpt, we take the crucial action of pondering the right future for you, including such steps as 1. The Crossroads: Making Choices That Matter, 2. Know Yourself, 3. The College Option, 4. The Community College Option, and 5. Technical Universities and Technical Institutes. This book will help you consider all the options in a clear, rational way.
What To Consider if You're Considering College — Taking Action
by Ken S. Coates Bill MorrisonGoing to college used to be a passport to future success, but that's no longer the case. For some students, it's still a good choice that leads to a successful career after graduation, but for many their degrees are worthless pieces of paper. Choose the wrong program and graduation is more likely to lead to disillusionment and debt than a steady paycheque. Yet parents, guidance counselors, and politicians still push higher education as if it's the only option for building a secure future. In this book, Ken S. Coates and Bill Morrison set out to explore the many educational opportunities and career paths open to Canadian high-school students and those in their twenties. This book is designed to help young adults decide whether to pursue a degree, enrol for skills training, or investigate one of the many other options that are available. In this special excerpt, we consider the world outside academia and some real-world options, such as: 1. Volunteering as a Launch Pad, 2. Travel: Discover the World, 3. Entrepreneurship: Why Wait to Be Your Own Boss? 4. Give Work a Chance, and 5. Apprenticeship and the Skilled Trades. This book will help you consider all the options in a clear, rational way.
What To Consider if You're Considering College — The Big Picture
by Ken S. Coates Bill MorrisonGoing to college used to be a passport to future success, but that's no longer the case. For some students, it's still a good choice that leads to a successful career after graduation, but for many their degrees are worthless pieces of paper. Choose the wrong program and graduation is more likely to lead to disillusionment and debt than a steady paycheque. Yet parents, guidance counselors, and politicians still push higher education as if it's the only option for building a secure future. In this book, Ken S. Coates and Bill Morrison set out to explore the many educational opportunities and career paths open to Canadian high-school students and those in their twenties. This book is designed to help young adults decide whether to pursue a degree, enroll for skills training, or investigate one of the many other options that are available. In this special excerpt, we take a wide-angle look at the world that awaits you after high school and how to cope with it while making the best decisions for a prosperous future, including 1. Preparing for Life After High School, 2. Surviving and Thriving in Post-Secondary Education, and 3. Who Are You and What Are Your Choices? This book will help you consider all the options in a clear, rational way.
What To Consider if You're Considering University — Knowing Your Options
by Ken S. Coates Bill MorrisonGoing to university used to be a passport to future success, but that’s no longer the case. For some students, it’s still a good choice that leads to a successful career after graduation, but for many their degrees are worthless pieces of paper. Choose the wrong program and graduation is more likely to lead to disillusionment and debt than a steady paycheque. Yet parents, guidance counselors, and politicians still push higher education as if it’s the only option for building a secure future. In this book, Ken S. Coates and Bill Morrison set out to explore the many educational opportunities and career paths open to Canadian high-school students and those in their twenties. This book is designed to help young adults decide whether to pursue a degree, enrol for skills training, or investigate one of the many other options that are available. In this special excerpt, we take the crucial action of pondering the right future for you, including such steps as 1. The Crossroads: Making Choices That Matter, 2. Know Yourself, 3. The University Option, 4. The College Option, and 5. Polytechnics. This book will help you consider all the options in a clear, rational way.
What To Consider if You're Considering University — Taking Action
by Ken S. Coates Bill MorrisonGoing to university used to be a passport to future success, but that’s no longer the case. For some students, it’s still a good choice that leads to a successful career after graduation, but for many their degrees are worthless pieces of paper. Choose the wrong program and graduation is more likely to lead to disillusionment and debt than a steady paycheque. Yet parents, guidance counselors, and politicians still push higher education as if it’s the only option for building a secure future. In this book, Ken S. Coates and Bill Morrison set out to explore the many educational opportunities and career paths open to Canadian high-school students and those in their twenties. This book is designed to help young adults decide whether to pursue a degree, enrol for skills training, or investigate one of the many other options that are available. In this special excerpt, we consider the world outside academia and some real-world options, such as: 1. Volunteering as a Launch Pad 2. Travel: Discover the World 3. Entrepreneurship: Why Wait to Be Your Own Boss? 4. Give Work a Chance 5. Apprenticeship and the Skilled Trades. This book will help you consider all the options in a clear, rational way.
What To Consider if You're Considering University — The Big Picture
by Ken S. Coates Bill MorrisonGoing to university used to be a passport to future success, but that’s no longer the case. For some students, it’s still a good choice that leads to a successful career after graduation, but for many their degrees are worthless pieces of paper. Choose the wrong program and graduation is more likely to lead to disillusionment and debt than a steady paycheque. Yet parents, guidance counselors, and politicians still push higher education as if it’s the only option for building a secure future. In this book, Ken S. Coates and Bill Morrison set out to explore the many educational opportunities and career paths open to Canadian high-school students and those in their twenties. This book is designed to help young adults decide whether to pursue a degree, enroll for skills training, or investigate one of the many other options that are available. In this special excerpt, we take a wide-angle look at the world that awaits you after high school and how to cope with it while making the best decisions for a prosperous future, including 1. Preparing for Life After High School, 2. Surviving and Thriving in Post-Secondary Education, and 3. Who Are You and What Are Your Choices? This book will help you consider all the options in a clear, rational way.
What To Expect The 1st Year [rev Edition]
by Heidi Murkoff Sharon MazelWith over 7 million copies sold worldwide, WHAT TO EXPECT THE 1st YEAR is one of the world's bestselling books on infant care - and it has now been updated and revised throughout by Heidi Murkoff. This comprehensive and practical month-by-month guide clearly explains everything parents need to know - or might be worrying about - in the first year with a new baby. The book covers monthly growth and development, feeding for every age and stage, and sleep strategies that really work. It is filled with the most practical tips (how to give a bath, decode your baby's crying, what to buy for baby, and when to return to work) and the most up-to-date medical advice (the latest on vaccines, vitamins, illnesses, SIDS, safety, and more). Featuring dozens of Q&A sections, as well as a first-aid guide and charts on monthly growth and development, feeding and sleeping habits, this is the only book on infant care to address both the physical and the emotional needs of the whole family. Covering the most up-to-date knowledge, both medical and developmental, WHAT TO EXPECT THE 1st YEAR is, above all, down-to-earth and reassuring - and an invaluable aid for all parents of new babies.
What To Expect The 1st Year [rev Edition]
by Heidi Murkoff Sharon MazelWith over 7 million copies sold worldwide, WHAT TO EXPECT THE 1st YEAR is one of the world's bestselling books on infant care - and it has now been updated and revised throughout by Heidi Murkoff. This comprehensive and practical month-by-month guide clearly explains everything parents need to know - or might be worrying about - in the first year with a new baby. The book covers monthly growth and development, feeding for every age and stage, and sleep strategies that really work. It is filled with the most practical tips (how to give a bath, decode your baby's crying, what to buy for baby, and when to return to work) and the most up-to-date medical advice (the latest on vaccines, vitamins, illnesses, SIDS, safety, and more). Featuring dozens of Q&A sections, as well as a first-aid guide and charts on monthly growth and development, feeding and sleeping habits, this is the only book on infant care to address both the physical and the emotional needs of the whole family. Covering the most up-to-date knowledge, both medical and developmental, WHAT TO EXPECT THE 1st YEAR is, above all, down-to-earth and reassuring - and an invaluable aid for all parents of new babies.
What To Expect When You're Breast-feeding... And What If You Can't?
by Clare Byam-CookWhile some mothers take to breast-feeding like a duck to water, others just can't seem to get the hang of it. Clare Byam-Cook agrees that breast is best but she stresses that the most important thing is that your baby is fed - whether by the breast or bottle - and you, the mother, should feel comfortable with whatever you choose to do. This comprehensive guide contains all the latest information on breast-feeding your baby successfully, including: - how to prepare for breast-feeding- what to expect in the early stages - how to overcome common problems, such as sore nipples and mastitisAnd if you can't... the first rule is you shouldn't feel a failure. Clare Byam-Cook recognises there are certain circumstances where bottle feeding is an advisable alternative. Rather than making you feel guilty if you prefer, or have to, bottle feed, she is wholly supportive and sympathetic, providing you with all the practical advice and information you need.
What To Expect the First Year, Second Edition
by Sandee Hathaway Arlene Eisenberg Heidi MurkoffGives a month by month guide to your baby's first year.
What Was Lost: A Novel
by Melissa ConnellyReminiscent of Hello Beautiful and The Lying Life of Adults, this powerful narrative delves into social changes from 1970 to 2000 and captures a woman&’s journey in a pre-#MeToo era via the tale of a mother who returns to her hometown to face the perpetrator of her childhood abuse.When a young girl feels complicit in her own abuse, how does that thwart her attempts to build a happy life as an adult woman? When disturbing memories begin to surface, Marti returns to the small Vermont town she ran away from thirty years ago to face her demons. She drags her unwitting teenage daughter along on the journey—heightening already existing tension between mother and daughter. But Marti is determined to achieve what she&’s returned home for: forgiveness for lies told, and revenge for secrets held. Exploring the vast social changes that took place between 1970 and 2000 and turning a critical eye on times before language such as #MeToo helped give voice to these all-too-common occurrences, What Was Lost is a raw, powerful tale of one woman confronting the ghosts of her past.
What Was Mine: A Book Club Recommendation!
by Helen Klein RossSimply told but deeply affecting, in the bestselling tradition of Alice McDermott and Tom Perrotta, this urgent novel unravels the heartrending yet unsentimental tale of a woman who kidnaps a baby in a superstore--and gets away with it for twenty-one years.Lucy Wakefield is a seemingly ordinary woman who does something extraordinary in a desperate moment: she takes a baby girl from a shopping cart and raises her as her own. It's a secret she manages to keep for over two decades--from her daughter, the babysitter who helped raise her, family, coworkers, and friends. When Lucy's now-grown daughter Mia discovers the devastating truth of her origins, she is overwhelmed by confusion and anger and determines not to speak again to the mother who raised her. She reaches out to her birth mother for a tearful reunion, and Lucy is forced to flee to China to avoid prosecution. What follows is a ripple effect that alters the lives of many and challenges our understanding of the very meaning of motherhood. Author Helen Klein Ross, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, weaves a powerful story of upheaval and resilience told from the alternating perspectives of Lucy, Mia, Mia's birth mother, and others intimately involved in the kidnapping. What Was Mine is a compelling tale of motherhood and loss, of grief and hope, and the life-shattering effects of a single, irrevocable moment.
What Was That All About?: 20 Years of Strips and Stories (Zits)
by Jerry Scott Jim BorgmanCelebrate Zits’ twentieth anniversary with the always spot-on, sometimes chaotic, and often messy comic moments between Jeremy and his befuddled parents.Authors Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman have sifted through the highlights (and some lowlights!) over the life of the strip and have created a unique behind-the-scenes, insightful view into the history of Zits. They have selected their all-time favorite cartoons to fill the collection along with special features, including stories about:How they met in Sedona, Arizona, and came up with the crazy idea of creating ZitsThe teenagers in their own livesChoosing the title ZitsStrips that newspapers declined to publish, or words they censored, etc.Creating a Zits Sunday stripSucks, bites, and blows: staking out territory on the comic pageFish paste and other reasons our kids don’t want to travel with us anymoreExcerpts from their sketchbooks will also be shown.This is the book every fan of Zits has ever wanted!
What We Both Know: A Novel
by Fawn ParkerFor readers of My Dark Vanessa, a mesmerizing, disturbing, and thoroughly compelling novel about one woman&’s role in preserving—or destroying—her famous father&’s legacy. In front of me are hundreds of pages of work. Already I feel it leaving me. He will obliterate what is there, replace it, deny I ever wrote a word. But, he cannot take the words I write on my own. Hillary Greene&’s father, once a celebrated author and public figure, is now losing his memory and, with it, his ability to write. As her father&’s primary caretaker, each day begins with two eggs, boiled and Charlie Rose or some other host on the iPad screen. Her father compulsively watches himself in old interviews, memorizing his own speech, trying to hang on to who he was. An aspiring author herself, Hillary impulsively agrees to ghost-write his final work—a memoir spanning his career—and release it in his name. Diving deep into her father&’s past, and in turn her own, a horrifying truth begins to piece itself together. With full control over her father&’s memoir, Hillary is faced with a stark choice: reveal her father as a monster or preserve his legacy as a respected literary figure. But she wonders what writing the truth will do to her and if it will damage her own prospects for a career. Whichever option she chooses, Hillary has to deal with the significant pain writing the memoir has re-surfaced—specifically, how the truth about her father adds to her grief over the death of her enigmatic sister, Pauline. For the first time in her life, Hillary holds the power. Set in the wake of the #MeToo and Time&’s Up movements, What We Both Know is a visceral, intimate, and complex novel about confronting the personal and professional consequences—and potentially devastating fallout—of revealing the truth about a famous man.
What We Buried
by Kate A. BoormanTold from the split viewpoints of Liv and Jory, Kate A. Boorman's What We Buried is a psychological thrill ride that deftly explores how memories can lie, how time can bend, and how reconciling the truth can be a matter of life or death. “Do you ever just want to be believed?” Siblings Liv and Jory Brewer have grown up resenting each another. Liv—former pageant queen and reality TV star—was groomed for a life in the spotlight, while her older brother, Jory, born with a partial facial paralysis, was left in the shadows. The only thing they have in common is contempt for their parents.Now Liv is suing her mom and dad for emancipation, and Jory views the whole thing as yet another attention-getting spectacle. But on the day of the hearing, their parents mysteriously vanish, and the siblings are forced to work together. Liv feels certain she knows where they are and suspects that Jory knows more than he’s telling…which is true.What starts as a simple overnight road trip soon takes a turn for the dangerous and surreal. And as the duo speeds through the deserts of Nevada, brother and sister will unearth deep family secrets that force them to relive their pasts as they try to retain a grip on the present.
What We Carry: A Memoir
by Maya Shanbhag Lang&“A gorgeous memoir about mothers, daughters, and the tenacity of the love that grows between what is said and what is left unspoken.&”—Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk If our family stories shape us, what happens when we learn those stories were never true? Who do we become when we shed our illusions about the past? Maya Shanbhag Lang grew up idolizing her brilliant mother, an accomplished physician who immigrated to the United States from India and completed her residency all while raising her children and keeping a traditional Indian home. Maya&’s mother had always been a source of support—until Maya became a mother herself. Then the parent who had once been so capable and attentive became suddenly and inexplicably unavailable. Struggling to understand this abrupt change while raising her own young child, Maya searches for answers and soon learns that her mother is living with Alzheimer&’s. Unable to remember or keep track of the stories she once told her daughter—stories about her life in India, why she immigrated, and her experience of motherhood—Maya&’s mother divulges secrets about her past that force Maya to reexamine their relationship. It becomes clear that Maya never really knew her mother, despite their close bond. Absorbing, moving, and raw, What We Carry is a memoir about mothers and daughters, lies and truths, receiving and giving care, and how we cannot grow up until we fully understand the people who raised us. It is a beautiful examination of the weight we shoulder as women and an exploration of how to finally set our burdens down.
What We Carry: A Novel
by Kalyn FogartyFans of Caroline Leavitt will relish this rich, complex novel born of the author's own loss and grief, about how one can overcome tragedy through bravery and self-discovery.Cassidy Morgan's life has always followed a carefully laid track: top education, fulfilling career, and marriage to the love of her life, Owen. The next logical step was starting a family. But when a late-term miscarriage threatens to derail everything she's worked so hard for, she finds herself questioning her identity, particularly what it means to be a mother. Unable to move past her guilt and shame, she realizes there's more to fix than a broken heart. Grief illuminates the weaknesses in her marriage and forces her to deal with her tumultuous relationship with her own mother.Cassidy hopes her work as a veterinarian specializing in equine reproduction will distract her from the pain but instead finds that one of the cases she's working on shines a spotlight on the memory of her unborn son. For once in her life, Cassidy is left untethered and wondering why she wanted to become a mother in the first place. Then the unexpected happens when Cassidy becomes pregnant again. But the joy over her baby is tempered by her fear of another loss as well as her increasingly troubled marriage. Now, she must decide whether to let her pain hold her back or trust that there's still something to live for. What We Carry is a thought-provoking response to the author's own miscarriage and lack of fiction surrounding the topic, that she and other women in her situation crave.
What We Could Have Been: A Novel
by Jess SinclairIn this richly imagined novel, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Taylor Jenkins Reid, a terrible betrayal triggers a feud that casts its shadow over the fates of two families in a small Florida fishing community. When a hunt for the truth rekindles a forbidden alliance, these families must choose to unearth more deception or finally claim redemption.Bluebelle Shea and Enzo Castellari are hardly more than children when they fall in love, despite the objections of their families, who have been at war for years. They don&’t know the reason for the brutal rift, but nothing matters except the way they feel. Their hopeful plan for the future is shattered the night Blue&’s mother drowns—and her father is arrested for murder.Ten years later, fleeing a disastrous marriage, Blue returns home with her young son, Murphy. As she settles into the community once more, chance throws her together with Enzo, and she is startled by the rekindled attraction he stirs inside her.Drawn together time and again, Blue and Enzo try to untangle years of conflicting emotions and bittersweet memories. When a frightening crisis strikes, Enzo doesn&’t hesitate to come to Blue&’s aid. Resolved to put the past behind them, they fight to learn not only what really happened the night Blue&’s mother died, but the truth behind the destructive clash between their families. At its heart, What We Could Have Been explores the bonds between families, friends, and lovers, and poignantly illustrates the ways we can heal after betrayal. Suffused with detail and sentiment, this is a novel that will resonate with anyone who has ever fought for their own happy ending.
What We Didn't Expect: Personal Stories about Premature Birth
by Melody SchreiberEvery year, 400,000 families in the United States welcome premature babies ...Ten percent of babies born in the U.S. are preemies. But that one word, "preemie," encompasses a range of medical and cultural experiences. There are textbooks, medical-ish guidebooks, and the occasional memoir to turn to ... but no book that collects personal experiences from the many people who have parented, cared for, or been preemies themselves. Until now. In What We Didn't Expect, journalist Melody Schreiber brings together a chorus of acclaimed writers and thinkers to share their diverse stories of having or being premature babies. The stories here cover everything from life-changing tests of faith to navigating the red tape of healthcare bureuacracy; from overcoming unimaginable grief to surviving and thriving against all odds. The result is a moving, heartfelt book, and a crucial and informative resource for anyone who has, or is about to have, the experience of dealing with a premature birth.
What We Found in Hallelujah
by Vanessa MillerAnother storm is on the horizon for the Reynolds women. And the only way out is to go through it.Good things never happen in November—at least not for the Reynolds women. It was the month they lost their patriarch. And the month when fourteen-year-old Trinity went missing during a tropical storm. So Hope Reynolds isn&’t surprised when it becomes the month she walks in on her boyfriend kissing another woman. Or when she receives a panicked call from her mother about a mistake that could cost the family their treasured beach house.Meanwhile, Faith Reynolds-Phillips is facing her own financial struggles. She&’s also looking down the barrel of divorce and raising a daughter who reminds her so much of her younger sister, Trinity, that sometimes it physically hurts. The last place Hope and Faith want to be is in Hallelujah, South Carolina, during hurricane season. Going home will force them to confront the secrets that have torn their family apart. But if they can survive another storm, they&’ll have a chance to rebuild on a new foundation—the truth.In the latest novel from prolific writer Vanessa Miller, three women must find the strength to endure the storm and the faith to believe in a miracle.&“A heartwarming, page-turning, beautiful story about family secrets, mother-daughter relationships, forgiveness, and restored faith.&” —Kimberla Lawson Roby, New York Times bestselling authorInspiring contemporary fictionStand-alone novelIncludes discussion questions for book clubsOther books by Vanessa Miller: Something Good
What We Kept to Ourselves: A Novel
by Nancy Jooyoun KimThis timely and surprising novel about a family&’s search for answers following the disappearance of their mother from the New York Times bestselling author Nancy Jooyoun Kim explores &“immigration, identity, love, and loss. A gorgeous, thrilling read&” (Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author).1999: The Kim family is struggling to move on after their mother, Sunny, vanished a year ago. Sixty-one-year-old John Kim feels more isolated from his grown children than ever before. But one evening, their fragile lives are further upended when John finds the body of a stranger in the backyard, carrying a letter to Sunny, leaving the family with more questions than ever. 1977: Sunny is pregnant and has just moved to Los Angeles from Korea with her aloof and often-absent husband. America is not turning out the way she had dreamed it to be, and the loneliness and isolation are broken only by a fateful encounter at a bus stop. The unexpected connection spans the decades and echoes into the family&’s lives in the present as they uncover devastating secrets that put not only everything they thought they knew about their mother but their very lives at risk. Both &“an intricately crafted mystery and a heart-wrenching family saga&” (Michelle Min Sterling, New York Times bestselling author), What We Kept to Ourselves masterfully explores what it means to dream in America.
What We Leave Behind: A Novel
by Christine Gallagher KearneyIn 1947, war bride Ursula arrives in Minneapolis torn between guilt over leaving loved ones behind and her desire to start a new life—and a family—in this promised land. But the American dream proves elusive—she is struck with polio, and then shocked by the sudden death of her GI husband. Without a spouse or the child she so desperately wanted, Ursula must rely on her shrewd survival skills from wartime Berlin, and she takes in a boarder to help make ends meet. She soon falls in love with the Argentinean medical technician living in her spare bedroom, but his devotion to communism troubles her—and when she finds herself pregnant with his child, she is faced with a dilemma: how to reconcile her dream of motherhood with an America that is so different from what she imagined.