Why a Booktrail?
1875, 1987: A novel inspired by little-known historical events, based on actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War
The Book of Lost Friends
What you need to know before your trail
Louisiana, 1875: In the tumultuous aftermath of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest. For heiresses Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and siblings before slavery’s end, the pilgrimage westward reignites an agonizing question. Could her long-lost family still be out there?
Louisiana, 1987: Arriving in Augustine, Louisiana, first-year teacher Benedetta Silva finds herself teaching students whose poverty-stricken lives she can scarcely comprehend. The town is impossibly set in its ways, suspicious of new ideas and new people. But amid the gnarled live oaks and ancient plantation homes lies the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything.
Travel Guide
Explore Louisiana’s past with slavery BookTrail style
A heart-wrenching novel inspired by little-known historical events, based on actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones, lost to them when their families were sold off.
Ten years after the Civil War. Slaves may have been emancipated but this does not always result in freedom. Southern attitudes are strong, divided and there are strong racist overtones here. Families are still separated and this has devastating consequences.
The place the author was greatly inspired and humbled by. Whitney Plantation is the only plantation museum in Louisiana with an exclusive focus on the lives of enslaved people.
Cane River Creole National Park
National park preserving Creole plantation life with restored buildings, exhibits & ranger tours. The author researched and visited this park to gain more of an understanding of the issues and the period in question.
Augustine
There is no small village called Augustine LA, but there is a St Augustine in Texas.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Book of Lost Friends
Destination/location:Augustine, Louisiana, Texas Author/guide: Lisa Wingate Departure Time: 1875, 1987
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