Ellen Barker Books

Troost is a real street. East of it is where you can buy a house if you're Black. It's also where our middle-aged white narrator grew up-and where she has just returned to reboot her life. How will she fare in this vastly changed world? This fictional story, punctuated by factual memoir, is by turns soul- searching, entertaining, and heartbreaking.

Facing a sudden job loss during a recession, Marianne returns to her old Kansas City neighborhood, confronting the challenges of starting over in a youth-centric job market. As she navigates her new reality, she must tap into her resilience and inner strength to rebuild her life and find her place in a world that seems to overlook her potential.