My Sister and Me

"My Sister and Me" is a compelling story about two teenage girls growing up in the 1950s. Living in Cincinnati, Ohio, they are abandoned by the people they believe are their parents. Lynne and Patsy have been cared by their African American housekeeper, Loretta. In alternating chapters, first Lynne and then Patsy describe the people and events that begin to heal the wounds of their isolated childhood. Gradually they come to know and love both Loretta's family and their grandfather. Despite Loretta's disapproval, Patsy and Loretta's 18-year-old son, Walter, fall in love. In 1955, schools and neighborhoods in Cincinnati were sharply segregated so the growing closeness of the girls and their grandfather with Loretta and her relatives does not sit well with their all-white neighbors. A fascinating account of historical fiction, this novel takes readers on a compelling journey that dives into the complexities of family and heightened racial tensions during the mid-20th century.

"My Sister and Me" is a compelling story about two teenage girls growing up in the 1950s. Living in Cincinnati, Ohio, they are abandoned by the people they believe are their parents. Lynne and Patsy have been cared by their African American housekeeper, Loretta. In alternating chapters, first Lynne and then Patsy describe the people and events that begin to heal the wounds of their isolated childhood. Gradually they come to know and love both Loretta's family and their grandfather. Despite Loretta's disapproval, Patsy and Loretta's 18-year-old son, Walter, fall in love. In 1955, schools and neighborhoods in Cincinnati were sharply segregated so the growing closeness of the girls and their grandfather with Loretta and her relatives does not sit well with their all-white neighbors. A fascinating account of historical fiction, this novel takes readers on a compelling journey that dives into the complexities of family and heightened racial tensions during the mid-20th century. Judy's younger sister, Cristi Boone, died in January 2021 at 81, leaving a manila envelope with these words, written in block letters, on the outside: THIS IS MY BOOK. JUDY, IF YOU ARE ALIVE, FINISH IT. Years earlier, they had discussed the plot, but Alzheimer's had engulfed her mind, and what she'd written was difficult to follow with many complicated or unfinished sub plots. This book has Judy's words, but the characters belong to Christi. Get ready to embark on an unforgettable journey into 1950s America and a world that was far different than the one we live in today.

Cristi Lynne Hallerman Boone was born in Cincinnati in 1939 and died there in 2021. She graduated from Withrow High School and the University of Cincinnati, married Marvin Boone, with whom she had four children, Marc, Ed, Debbie, and Jack, and after their divorce married Ed Spiller. She built a successful career teaching security for mainframe computers.