“Had a spare hour and thought I’d come by to see our girl,” Ruth said as they made their way to the kitchen, where Lillian was already pouring Ruth a cup of coffee. Ruth held out the flowers.
“They’re lovely, Ruth, thank you.” Lillian was as freshly pressed as ever, though Ruth could see the toll Peter’s prostate cancer had taken, etched in the lines on her face. Harriet took the flowers from Ruth and grabbed a vase.
“Didn’t you have Jenna’s class visiting today? How did it go?” Lillian asked.
“Fine. Mom came with them, and I’m pretty sure Jenna got a history lesson on women’s rights on the way home.” Ruth waved her hand as if shooing a mosquito. “Well, fine, until one of the girls asked why I’d decided on family law. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. About telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
“What did you say?” Lillian asked.
“What I always say—that it was easier back then for a woman to practice family law, if she could get a job in law at all.”
“It’s not a lie,” Harriet said.
“A part of me feels like I owe Jenna the whole story. So younger women know what’s at stake. So others know they’re not alone and that it’s safe to reach out for help. That they don’t deserve to be shamed or blamed.”
“You don’t owe anyone anything.” Lillian arranged the flowers in a vase. “And the Esther Society is well known for its women’s shelters nowadays. But Jenna may be interested to hear about when it was different. She’ll love you more for everything you did.”
“Everything we did,” Ruth said. “Still, there’s Carrie to consider.”
Lillian said, “If it bothers you, leave Carrie out of it, or change people’s names to protect the innocent. Isn’t that how it works?”
“I think it might feel good to finally tell the whole story,” Ruth said.
“Then go ahead,” Harriet said. “You can still be the smart one. But make me the pretty one.”
“Just make sure I’m the one with the best manners,” Lillian said.
Ruth laughed. “Deal.”
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES
The following resources are available if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence: Crucial Networks The National Network to End Domestic Violence https://nnedv.org/
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence https://ncadv.org/
NCADV’s network of state coalitions https://ncadv.org/state-coalitions
National Domestic Violence Hotline https://www.thehotline.org/
Noteworthy Experts Lundy Bancroft
https://lundybancroft.com/
Shahida Arabi
https://selfcarehaven.wpcomstaging.com/
Dr. Ramani
http://doctor-ramani.com/
Important Books Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men and Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Guide to Knowing If Your Relationship Can—and Should—Be Saved by Lundy Bancroft
Unmasking Narcissism: A Guide to Understanding the Narcissist in Your Life by Mark Ettensohn
A Cry for Justice: How the Evil of Domestic Abuse Hides in Your Church by Jeff Crippen and Anna Wood
No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snyder
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving: A Guide and Map for Recovering from Childhood Trauma by Pete Walker
Resources compiled by writer and advocate Janna Leadbetter, who founded Breaking the Silence for Women. The platform of education and empowerment for survivors of domestic abuse can be found on Facebook.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND AUTHOR’S NOTE
I often listened to James Taylor’s greatest hits while I wrote this book, even though in the world of my characters it would be years until his music would be released and become popular. I felt as if I had a crystal ball and was privy to the soundtrack of my characters’ futures.
I felt that way while writing much of this book, which takes place before the publication of The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, before women’s lib or the second wave of feminism, and long before #MeToo. I had to refrain from giving the women in the book too much hope or insight. At times it was difficult to ignore what I knew would happen to change their lives—the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy, the civil rights movement, Woodstock, miniskirts, the moon landing. I strove to stay entrenched in the characters’ 1962 world, where my twenty-first-century opinions and knowledge were irrelevant. It was not great for my ego, but while I was writing, I ceased to matter.
Writing Ruth was a respite. She was my sometimes-reluctant rebel, my always forward thinker, loosely inspired in part by the early life of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. May her memory be a blessing.
I sometimes felt sorry for Lillian and wanted to shake her sensibilities into another decade. Shirley came to life for me as the protective, bold, sometimes misguided matriarchal figure who still clung to her weekly beauty parlor appointments.
What wasn’t difficult about writing this book was picturing Wynnefield, a real West Philadelphia neighborhood that filled my paternal grandmother’s, Mildred Nathan’s, collection of photo albums and reels of home movies, now stored in the cloud. My dad’s family all lived in Wynnefield, on Peach Street and Columbia Avenue, where my grandparents lived until I was five, not far from where readers first meet Lillian and the Diamond Girls, but in a small row house. My parents drove me up and down （it’s quite hilly） and around Wynnefield, recounting memories and pointing out what used to be. My aunt Linda also shared her memories and answered my questions. The setting wouldn’t have been so vivid to me without their help.
Fun facts: My dad went to Overbrook High School at the same time as Wilt Chamberlain but before Will Smith. Wynnefield is the West Philadelphia neighborhood Smith rapped about in the nineties.
The story and structure in this book were greatly influenced by the insights of Danielle Egan-Miller, Jodi Warshaw, Danielle Marshall, and Tiffany Yates Martin—the stars in my writing and publishing universe. I would not be here without them.
And then there’s my proverbial village. A socially distanced high five for Sherrie Agre, Julie Artz, Sheila Athens, Kim Brock, Susan Brownmiller, Mark Cameron, Emily Carpenter, Gabriella Dumpit, Carole and Ray Farley, Joan Fernandez, Mary Beth Gale, Susan Gloss, Kelly Harms, Kelly Hartog, Ashley Hasty, Fern Katz, Janna Leadbetter, Miriam Lichtenberg, Kathryn Mariani, Carolyn McGill, Dr. Pamela Nadell, Renée Rosen, Ellie Roth, Renee San Giacomo, Judith Soslowsky, Pamela Toler, and Nancy Yaeger. Much respect and thanks to Priya Gill for being my spreadsheet fairy godmother.
Manny Katz, I missed your input.
An extra big germless hug to the dream team—Michele Montgomery, Priya Gill, and Gabi Coatsworth for crossing my t’s and dotting my i’s when I was under the weather.
Much love and a special thank-you to my brother, David Nathan, for helping with just about everything else so I could write this book.
To my fascinating friends Natasha, Oksana, and Katarina: thank you for the daily support, the weekly chats, and most of all, for the keys to our magical writing bungalow. And I’m grateful for the thousands of accountability emails I’ve exchanged with Pamela Toler and for our long-standing and special friendship.