About this item
Highlights
- Award-winning journalist and host of Black Enterprise Business Report Caroline Clarke's moving memoir of her surprise discovery of her birthmother--Cookie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole--and the relationship that blossomed between them through the heartfelt messages they exchanged on hundreds of postcards.Caroline Clarke was born in an era when adoptions were shameful and sealed.
- Author(s): Caroline Clarke
- 336 Pages
- Biography + Autobiography, Personal Memoirs
Description
About the Book
"A hardcover edition of this book was published in 2014 by HarperCollins publishers."--Title page verso.Book Synopsis
Award-winning journalist and host of Black Enterprise Business Report Caroline Clarke's moving memoir of her surprise discovery of her birthmother--Cookie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole--and the relationship that blossomed between them through the heartfelt messages they exchanged on hundreds of postcards.
Caroline Clarke was born in an era when adoptions were shameful and sealed. She kept her curiosity about her biological parents in check, until a series of small health problems raised concerns about her genetic heritage and its consequences for her two children's lives and her own.
Though the agency that handled her adoption could not reveal the name of her birth mother, it provided details that lead to a shocking truth. Caroline's birth mother and her family were related to a friend: Carole "Cookie" Cole, the daughter of iconic crooner and pianist Nat King Cole.
Drawing on details provided by the agency and her own investigative skills, Caroline embarked on a life-changing journey of discovery that stretched from coast to coast, forged through e-mail, phone calls, and post cards. The constancy, volume, and intimacy of her steady correspondence with Cookie filled the days and distance between them. Through brief yet poignant messages squeezed onto three-inch open-faced squares, mother and daughter revealed themselves, ultimately building a bond like no other.
A heartfelt, inspiring tribute to both Caroline's adoptive parents and her biological mother, Postcards from Cookie illuminates the enduring power of love to shape and guide our lives.
From the Back Cover
Award-winning journalist Caroline Clarke was born in an era when adoptions were shameful and secret and sealed. Her story begins with a happy childhood in the Bronx. She never had any desire to know her birth parents until some health concerns led her to contact Spence-Chapin Family Services.
The adoption agency's response sparked a series of stunning discoveries. Caroline had known her biological family for more than twenty years. Her birth mother, nicknamed "Cookie," was the sister of one of her dearest college friends. Moreover, the family was a prominent one, known throughout the world for not just one but two generations of musical greatness, including the singer Natalie Cole and her iconic father, Nat King Cole, whose music had filled Caroline's life.
And so Caroline's story begins again. Drawing on details provided by the agency and her own investigative skills, she embarks on a life-changing relationship with Cookie that stretches from coast to coast. Forged primarily through the mail, particularly hundreds of postcards, they share confidences, unite their families, and build a bond like no other.
Review Quotes
"A moving account of a woman who finally finds out who she is." -- New York Times Book Review
"Page after elegant, funny, and poignant page, Postcards from Cookie astounds. The power of Clarke's writing is matched by the complex and remarkable relationship between two extraordinary and unforgettable women." -- Essence
"A sensitive memoir of identity and self-discovery. . . . Splendid, soul-baring." -- Publishers Weekly
"Downright riveting. . . . Read it." -- Ebony
"A loving . . . account of the enduring power of family love." -- Booklist (starred review)
"The exchange of postcards, phone calls and emails between mother and daughter are moving, and Clarke's capacity for forgiveness is real." -- Juicy
"Caroline Clarke has written more than a memoir. Postcards from Cookie is an iconic portrait of a singular American family-- complete with celebrity and wealth, secrets and lies, heart pounding loss and hard-earned, often uneasy, love." -- Veronica Chambers, author of Mama's Girl
"Clarke's prose is elegant, crisp and deeply personal, and her narration is gripping. . . . Clarke effectively explores her crisis of identity by peeling back layer after layer of a complex, riveting personal history. . . . A captivating memoir." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Caroline Clarke has written more than a memoir. Postcards from Cookie is an iconic portrait of a singular American family -- complete with celebrity and wealth, secrets and lies, heart pounding loss and hard-earned, often uneasy, love. This is a read-in-one-sitting book then buy five copies for friends book. It is to quote the great Nat King Cole, a central character in this tale, 'unforgettable.'" -- Veronica Chambers, author of Mama's Girl
"I'm excited to add Postcards from Cookie to the bookshelves at my restaurant, the Red Rooster. This stunning memoir is so emblematic of the love and joy I see in our patrons every day; a never-ending story about family, friendship, love and history. It's as American as fried chicken, mac and greens. This book is soulful--and delicious." -- Marcus Samuelsson, co-owner of the Red Rooster in Harlem and award-winning author of Yes, Chef
"No, seriously - you're going to want to read this book because Postcards from Cookie will send you away satisfied." -- Long Island Pulse
"Their journey of reunion is captured with sensitivity, as Caroline describes all the anxieties (including those of her adopted parents) in this touching diary which reveals the joys and sorrows of adoption." -- Iron Mountain Daily News
"A 'must read' novel-like memoir." -- Black Enterprise