“Well, I love her too, and I won’t have her fighting her way through this life. It’s already hard enough. I won’t make it harder, I can’t. I promised myself that.”
A Kind of Freedom, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
This book follows 3 storylines starting with Evelyn in 1944 New Orleans, Jackie, one of Evelyn’s daughters in 1986, and T.C., Jackie’s son in 2010. Sexton has taken several themes and developed them with 3 characters in the same family, choosing not to overlap their stories.
Instead allowing us to pay attention to their unique circumstances. One of the foremost being, the freedom that comes from making difficult choices. The transition from being the person your parents have raised and tried to teach lessons they hope will shield you from the realities of adult life. Lessons they hope will prepare you to be your own person.
The vulnerability we experience when we make decisions that will shift and change the dynamics of the relationships with those we love.
The realization and uncertainty that comes with love.
The devastation of drug addiction, Hurricane Katrina, imprisonment—trust, love, regrets, hope, loss.
When I read a post recently about a book called You Ought to Do a Story About Me, I felt another shift in my thinking about the many families affected by cycle and trauma of drug addiction. I wanted to shake T.C. so many times because I felt like WHY? But I remembered he’s just a kid too. His storyline was necessary [but gosh the potty mouth made hit fast forward a few times].
There was a hopefulness I felt throughout and I think that was one of the biggest emotional take aways for me. We don’t know the interior of a person and their lives—the situations or circumstances. The totality of which affects them and those they love.I picked this book up from my library’s e-catalog (audio + ebook) to pair with this tea. The juxtaposition of the two, one refreshing and the other, af times difficult & hopeful, steeped throughout.
The Steep: Big Easy #greentea from August Uncommon. Use the code BYTHECUP for 20% off your order if you want to try some delicious tea 😍
Books By the Cup 
We really don’t know the interior lives of people, do we? I love stories that give the reader a peek into a character’s thoughts that might surprise us. This sounds like a good one.
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We don’t although I think especially with family, we might think we do. I definitely enjoyed this book! I hope you check it out
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