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On the threshold: 4 favorite coming-of-age stories

These are four books by members of the International Women’s Writing Guild. Each of these memoirs is written in the voice of a young girl about to come of age. These are stories about characters who stand on the threshold of leaving something behind – and who, regardless of how their futures unfold, are upheld by the capacity to dream.



1. The Box Children by Sharon Wyse
Published by Penguin Putnam, The Box Children is narrated in the unselfconscious voice of Lou Ann, 12. Lou Ann lives with her erratic parents on a wheat farm in northern Texas and dreams about a bigger life.

2. The Root Worker by Rainelle Burton
This is the story of Ellen, an eleven-year old African American girl growing up in Detroit in the 1960′s. Ellen’s mother is convinced that Ellen is possessed by evil spirits. But more than anything, Ellen fears the Root Worker, a voodoo priestess. Ellen is in constant search for “glue” – a place of safety where no one can touch her. This book was reprinted in part by O Magazine.

3. Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister’s Memoir by Heather Summerhays Cariou
Published by McArthur & Company, Sixtyfive Roses is about a young girl’s love for her sister who is devastatingly ill – about being healthy but burdened with guilt, as both sisters journey through childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. This is book about fighting life and never giving up.

4. On the Way to Feed the Swans by Hannelore Hahn
This is my own memoir. It tells the story of living with my family in the beautiful city of Dresden before its destruction and our subsequent escape to the United States. The memoir was published by Tenth House Enterprises and won the Hannah Ahrendt Award in 2008.

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  1. Heather Cariou Heather Cariou says

    Would like to add all the books by Guild member Jan Phillips, especially “Marry Your Muse.”  Find her books at http://www.JanPhillips.com

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  2. Laura P Laura P says

    I have been looking for a special Christmas gift for me! Thank you! Continued success in 2010!

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    • zblair zblair says

      So was I! I just joined the Guild!

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      • Laura P Laura P says

        Smiles you have to love those special gifts! Sorry still young at 55 and learning…the Guild is a book club?

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      • zblair zblair says

        Not a book club, but a collective of women who write! Click on Hannelore’s IWWG link in the introduction of this post and read her explanation of the group on her site to understand more fully.

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      • Laura P Laura P says

        Thank you happy reading!

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