Sara, though, surprises elementary schoolteacher Jonas Coulter, who has taken a special interest in Mama Sugar's grandson Will, by being well-read. In 1960s Memphis, sharp-tongued Sara King lives and works at the boarding house of the formidable Mama Sugar, who asks no questions of Sara about her background or her obvious resistance to mothering her son, Lebanon, whom she gave birth to shortly after arriving from Chicago. West draws on characters from her 2020 novel Saving Ruby King in this dramatic if uneven story of a young Black mother who builds a makeshift family. With a charismatic cast of characters, The Two Lives of Sara is an emotional and unforgettable story of hope, the limitations of resilience and unexpected love.

Romance blooms between them, but secrets from Mama Sugar’s past threaten their newfound happiness and lead Sara to make decisions that will reshape the rest of their lives. Black literature and music provide the stories and soundtrack for these turbulent and hopeful times, and Sara finds herself drawn in by conversations of education, politics and a brighter tomorrow with Jonas, a local schoolteacher. Across the country, people like Martin Luther King Jr. Like many cities in early 1960s America, Memphis is still segregated, but change is in the air. She is welcomed with open arms by Mama Sugar, a kindly matriarch and owner of the popular boardinghouse The Scarlet Poplar. Sara King has nothing, save for her secrets and the baby in her belly, as she boards the bus to Memphis, hoping to outrun her past in Chicago. In 1960s Memphis, a young mother finds refuge in a boardinghouse where family encompasses more than just blood and hidden truths can bury you or set you free. “An utterly absorbing and dazzling novel about the stories we tell to stay alive and the secrets we keep to protect ourselves.” - Nancy Jooyoun Kim, New York Times Bestselling author of The Last Story of Mina Lee Magazine, The Root, Popsugar, Bustle, and many more!

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Ms.

The two lives of sara a novel