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Spanning from the joyous peak of the 1930s jazz era to the Great Depression and civil rights movement, this book tells a tale of love, life, and loss as one woman learns the true meaning of home.
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Birdie Jennings dreams of a big life beyond her small town of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky-beyond her mundane job tying tobacco leaves at Wrights Factory, beyond her position as the baby of the family. Her life changes when she meets smooth-talking Jimmy Walker. Jimmy makes big promises for an exciting life together, and Birdie is quickly swept off her feet. But some short years after they marry, Jimmy disappears without a trace, leaving Birdie hurt and alone with their two toddlers. Out of money and out of options, Birdie moves back home with her overbearing mother. Just as she's settling into her new life, Birdie witnesses a gruesome murder and is urged to flee Mt. Sterling to avoid questioning. With nothing but a borrowed suitcase and a questionable note about a house in Cincinnati promised to Jimmy, she travels to the big city just as she and Jimmy dreamed, determined to put her life back together. Plunged into the bustling jazz scenes of the hottest nightclubs and backwoods juke joints, Birdie learns that finding her place among criminals and saints is tough-but she is tougher. Even when some harsh lessons threaten the life, she's created on her own terms…
Author and Presenter: Monica Chenault-Kilgore dreamt of being a dancer on Broadway. Sparkly costumes, stage lights and an orchestra striking the first note as the velvet curtain rose made her tear up with longing for the stage. Watching performances of classic musicals from the 30’s and 40’s, with their tales of love, love lost, self-realization, and overcoming challenges to reach rewards and victories brought her great joy. Even though the dream of dancing is far in the rear view (unless there’s a call for a middle-aged dancer in the back of the chorus), the romance between music and storytelling during a pocket of time in history remains. Her debut novel, "Long Gone, Come Home" is a historical women’s fiction novel that navigates the rhythms of African American life, love, jazz, blues, resistance, and resilience during the turbulent 1930s through early ‘40s. Monica writes about characters – saints and criminals living though life punctuated by the shifting racial climate during this historic period. Born and raised in Cincinnati Ohio, Monica currently resides in Edison, New Jersey. A graduate of The Ohio State University School of Journalism, she has written two booklets entitled, "Liberty and Justice for All…Profiles of Middlesex County African American Veterans of WWII" and the "Korean War" for the New Jersey State Historical Commission and Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission. Interviewing Veterans sparked her interest in the period and accelerated her desire to complete her first novel. When not writing, she enjoys relaxing with her wonderful husband, son, and a very spoiled cat, with a freshly brewed cup of coffee, or something a little stronger, while listening to all sorts of jazz and, of course, show tunes.
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