Book Description

New to Liberty transports readers to the heartland, a rural community marked by poverty and isolation, as seen through the eyes of two outsiders and one of their own. In 1966, teenage Sissily is on her way to California with an older man to begin a life together, when he insists on stopping at his family ranch in Kansas to see his mother. This family reunion is a painful reminder for Sissily of the truth about her own heritage and why she ran away, as she meets women who, decades later, are permanently scarred by the Great Depression. In 1947, Nella's family relocates to Kansas from Milwaukee during the summer before her senior year, where she begins an interracial relationship with a white man called Lucky. They can only meet in secret, or as Lucky is in a wheelchair sometimes Nella pretends to be his nurse. When three white men stumble upon Nurse Nella one catastrophic afternoon, the violence of a racist society forces Nella to face the reality of their situation. In 1933, at the height of the dust bowl and brutal jackrabbit roundups, surrounded by violence and starvation, Greta finds love with another farm woman. Their clandestine encounters will be unsustainable for obvious reasons but will have consequences for generations. A novel told in three parts, New to Liberty showcases the strength and resolve of three unforgettable women growing up in a society that refuses to evolve. Intimate and concise, with piercing insights, DeMisty D. Bellinger brings the quiet, but treacherous landscape to life, offering a snapshot of mid-century America and keeping readers guessing until the end as to how these three women are connected.