The New-Old Quaker Women’s Club

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Dear Friends,

I’m so excited to share the publication of my new novel, The New-Old Quaker Women’s Club!

Back in the 90’s and early 2000’s I was able to write four historical novels set during the time the Quakers moved West from Indiana to settle in southeast Iowa. It was a matter of writing furiously each July, when I was not working in the principal’s office (my office). Eventually, the four-book series was complete, and I focused on my career.

Since my retirement, I have been studying some of the intense issues that seemed to be causing divisions in the Society of Friends and more broadly. I have come to realize that those of us who call ourselves Christians need to look at how we can “be the church” by our actions to make a difference in our world.

Quite a number of women throughout Quaker history have been active in social issues, especially the fight against slavery and the right to vote. I decided to research some of these women and see what we might glean from their lives that would help us make changes in our own society today.

From this research, I wrote The New-Old Quaker Women’s Club, which interweaves three narrative strands: the historical stories of ancestral Quakers, the current lives of four senior women who gather monthly to share their research on their ancestors, and the four women’s memories of their own lives growing up among Friends in Iowa.

If you’d like to learn more about my books, you are welcome to check out my website:

www.susan-mccracken.com

from Susan McCracken, West Branch Friends (11/27/2022)