Two Novels on their Way
Two of my social fiction novels will be emerging soon! An anniversary edition of
White Bread
is in the process of being released from Brill-Sense. This second edition is very similar to the first edition, but with some improvements based on feedback from the first edition. You can order it now from
Brill
and
Amazon
.
White Bread
narrates Jessica’s journey into her family’s past, into herself, and into the bicultural students she teaches but does not understand. Jessica, a fictional white fifth-grade teacher, is prompted to explore her German-American family history by the unexpected discovery of a hundred-year-old letter (I fictionalized the letter but not the people in the letter).
White Bread
pulls readers into a tumultuous six months of Jessica’s life as she confronts many issues that turn out to be interrelated: Why does she know so little about her German-American family’s past? Why are the Latino teachers advocating for Raza Studies, and what does that mean? Can she become the kind of teacher who sparks student learning?
White Bread
was inspired by many things, but one of them was a German language textbook written by my great aunt, Flora Ross, published in 1938. My grandmother and great aunt were born to a German immigrant who became a pastor, and a second-generation German woman. What puzzled me was, why did I not learn a single word of German at home while growing up? Aside from a couple of my grandmother's favorite dishes, why was almost no German culture passed on to my generation, nor historical memory of my family's German roots?
White Bread
explores that question.
Family History in Black and White
, also to be published by Brill-Sense, will be out sometime early in 2021. Situated within today’s rapidly shifting racial demographics, this novel traces two competitors for the position of school superintendent. One is white and one is Black; both are urban high school principals. Ben, who had been bullied as a child, craves public recognition but, unsure whether he can trust today’s competitive process to be fair to a white man, wrestles with compromising his own integrity to get what he wants. Roxane, who has navigated racism all her life, craves recognition of her humanity, but can’t be sure which of the professionals around her are actually trustworthy, including her chief competitor, Ben. In the end, both must ultimately reckon with the reverberations of a surprising twist in their histories.
Like
White Bread
, this novel was prompted by many things, one of which was deed of sale of farm animals I found in the deeds records of Monroe County, Tennessee, while tracing my mother's family history. I couldn't figure out why someone (one of my ancestors) would write and record a deed for 3 farm animals. As I looked further into it, I realized that the transaction was between my white ancestor, and an African American sharecropper (probably) nearby. Further, the deed was worked out as a loan rather than a sale. What could be the story behind it, I wondered?
In
Family History in Black and White
, you will discover what might have been the story and how that story relates directly to the present day. Stay tuned for early 2021!
White Bread
is in the process of being released from Brill-Sense. This second edition is very similar to the first edition, but with some improvements based on feedback from the first edition. You can order it now from
Brill
and
Amazon
.
White Bread
narrates Jessica’s journey into her family’s past, into herself, and into the bicultural students she teaches but does not understand. Jessica, a fictional white fifth-grade teacher, is prompted to explore her German-American family history by the unexpected discovery of a hundred-year-old letter (I fictionalized the letter but not the people in the letter).
White Bread
pulls readers into a tumultuous six months of Jessica’s life as she confronts many issues that turn out to be interrelated: Why does she know so little about her German-American family’s past? Why are the Latino teachers advocating for Raza Studies, and what does that mean? Can she become the kind of teacher who sparks student learning?
White Bread
was inspired by many things, but one of them was a German language textbook written by my great aunt, Flora Ross, published in 1938. My grandmother and great aunt were born to a German immigrant who became a pastor, and a second-generation German woman. What puzzled me was, why did I not learn a single word of German at home while growing up? Aside from a couple of my grandmother's favorite dishes, why was almost no German culture passed on to my generation, nor historical memory of my family's German roots?
White Bread
explores that question.
Family History in Black and White
, also to be published by Brill-Sense, will be out sometime early in 2021. Situated within today’s rapidly shifting racial demographics, this novel traces two competitors for the position of school superintendent. One is white and one is Black; both are urban high school principals. Ben, who had been bullied as a child, craves public recognition but, unsure whether he can trust today’s competitive process to be fair to a white man, wrestles with compromising his own integrity to get what he wants. Roxane, who has navigated racism all her life, craves recognition of her humanity, but can’t be sure which of the professionals around her are actually trustworthy, including her chief competitor, Ben. In the end, both must ultimately reckon with the reverberations of a surprising twist in their histories.
Like
White Bread
, this novel was prompted by many things, one of which was deed of sale of farm animals I found in the deeds records of Monroe County, Tennessee, while tracing my mother's family history. I couldn't figure out why someone (one of my ancestors) would write and record a deed for 3 farm animals. As I looked further into it, I realized that the transaction was between my white ancestor, and an African American sharecropper (probably) nearby. Further, the deed was worked out as a loan rather than a sale. What could be the story behind it, I wondered?
In
Family History in Black and White
, you will discover what might have been the story and how that story relates directly to the present day. Stay tuned for early 2021!
No comments have been added yet.
