Joanne Johnston Francis

Dearest Sparrow Joanne Johnston Francis

Had he dreamed it? Had they danced till dawn, one dance after another, all the way down to the boat dock and all the way back to the porch? Had she asked him to kiss her? Had he kissed her? Had their tears met and made a river together, their two hearts breaking all over again knowing it all should have been so different; all should have been so good? (Dearest Sparrow) Dearest Sparrow establishes the mood for this rare story collection. Sparrow asks, "If I never stay in one place, how do I know I'm home when I get there?" In each story, dislocations of body and spirit reflect the altered lives of those forced to leave behind all they've ever known. A young black mom feels at odds with her mother's different moment in history; a mountain woman regrets betraying her friendship with a former Japanese-American internee; a Croatian immigrant is resented for going native. The moments of our lives we recall and why we recall them form a major theme here as well.