Rebecca, Not Becky: A Novel

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In the vein of Such a Fun Age, a whip-smart, compulsively readable novel about two upper-class stay-at-home mothersone white, one Blackliving in a "perfect" suburb that explores motherhood, friendship, and the true meaning of sisterhood amidst the backdrop of Americas all-too-familiar racial reckoning.

DeAndrea Whitman, her husband Malik, and their five-year-old daughter, Nina, are new to the upper-crust white suburb of Rolling Hills, Virginiaa move motivated by circumstance rather than choice. DeAndrea is heartbroken to leave her comfortable life in the Black oasis of Atlanta, and between her mother-in-laws Alzheimer's diagnosis, her daughter starting kindergarten, and the overwhelming whiteness of Rolling Hills, she finds herself struggling to adjust to her new community. To ease the transition, her therapist proposes a challenge: make a white girlfriend.

When Rebecca Myland learns about her new neighbors, the Whitmans, she's thrilled. As chair of the Parent Diversity Committee at her daughters school, shes championed racial diversity in the communityand what could be better than a brand-new Black family Its serendipitous when her daughter, Isabella, and Nina become best friends on the first day of kindergarten. Now, Rebecca can put everything shes learned about antiracism into practiceespecially those oh-so-informative social media posts. And finally, the Parent Diversity Committee will have some... well, diversity.

Following her therapists suggestion, DeAndrea reluctantly joins Rebeccas committee. The painfully earnest white woman is so overly eager it makes DeAndrea wonder if Rebeccas therapist told her to make a Black friend! But when Rolling Hills rising racial sentiments bring the two women together in common cause, they find it isnt the only thing they have in common. . . .

Author Bio

Christine Platts literature centers on teaching tough histories, building awareness and empathy, and empowering others to reimagine the lives they want and deserve. She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from the University of South Florida, M.A. in African and African American Studies from The Ohio State University, and a J.D. from Stetson University College of Law. Catherine Wigginton Greene is a writer and filmmaker whose storytelling focuses on strengthening human connection and understanding. Her feature documentary Im Not Racist . . . Am I continues to be used throughout the US as a teaching tool for starting racial dialogue. A graduate of Coe College and Columbia Universitys Graduate School of Journalism, Catherine is currently pursuing her doctorate from The George Washington Universitys Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Platt and Wigginton-Greene both live in Washington, DC.