Chasing Lilacs

By Carla Stewart

Description:

Living in a small Texas community in 1958 should be simple and carefree, but for Sammie Tucker, nothing will be settled until she finds the truth about her mother’s love.

Twelve-year-old Sammie has plenty of questions about her mother’s “nerve” problems. About shock treatments. About whether her mother loves her. When tragedy strikes and a not-so-favorite aunt arrives, Sammie has to choose who to trust with her deepest fears. Her best friend with an opinion about everything? The mysterious kid from California whose own troubles plague him? Or her round-faced neighbor with gentle advice and strong shoulders to cry on? Then, there’s the elderly widower who seems nice, but has his own dark past.

Trusting is one thing, but accepting the truth may be the hardest thing Sammie’s ever done.

Book Takeaway:

When grief comes, God’s healing can often best be found in the embrace of those who’ve also mourned.

Awards:

Why the author wrote this book:

I always had a curiosity about the "nerve" problems and shock treatments people whispered about when I was a child growing up in a community like the one in CHASING LILACS, so I wanted to explore what that would have been like for a young girl growing up in that era.