Postcards from Cookie: A Memoir of Motherhood, Miracles, and a Whole Lot of Mail

An “elegant, funny, and poignant” memoir of a journalist’s discovery of her birth mother—a daughter of Nat King Cole—and the bond that formed between them (Essence).

Caroline Clarke, award-winning journalist and host of Black Enterprise Business Report, was born in an era when adoptions were shameful, secret, and sealed. While she wondered about her biological parents, she kept her curiosity in check, until a series of small health problems raised concerns about her genetic heritage and its consequences for her two children’s lives and her own.

Though Spence-Chapin Family Service, the agency that handled her adoption, could not reveal the name of her birth mother, it was able to provide details that led to a shocking truth. Caroline’s birth mother and her family were related to a friend. The woman who gave her life was none other than Carole “Cookie” Cole, the daughter of crooner and pianist Nat King Cole.

Drawing on details provided by the agency and her own investigative skills, Caroline embarked on a life-changing journey of discovery that stretched from coast to coast, forged through e-mail, phone calls, and postcards. The constancy, volume, and intimacy of her steady correspondence with Cookie filled the days and distance between them. Through brief yet heartfelt messages squeezed onto three-inch squares, mother and daughter revealed themselves, sharing secrets, taking risks, and ultimately building a bond like no other. An inspiring tribute to both Caroline’s adoptive parents and her biological mother, Postcards from Cookie illuminates the power of love to shape and guide our lives.

“A moving account of a woman who finally finds out who she is.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Deeply personal [and] gripping.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Downright riveting.” —Ebony

Includes photos

© 2023 Harper (Ebook): 9780062103192

Release date

Ebook: December 15, 2023