Jennifer Haupt - In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills

Saturday March 31st at 5:00 PM Jennifer Haupt will give a slide show presentation on her moving novel, In The Shadow of 10,000 Hills.   Jennifer Haupt spent 25 years as a journalist writing for such prestigious publications as O’ Oprah’s magazine, The Seattle Times and Psychology Today.  In 2006 she traveled to Rawanda to interview survivors of the genocide.  From her experiences she was inspired to write this uplifting novel that intersects the story of a young American woman, Rachel, and the people she meets in Rwanda who will ultimately show her the meaning of grace and home.

Lillian Carlson met Henry Shepard at a speech by Martin Luther King Jr., the attraction was instant.  Henry was at the event as a newspaper photographer, trying to get his career going, passionate about photography.  Later, the shot he took of Lillian would grace the cover of Life magazine.  But in the 1960’s the world was not ready to embrace a relationship between a white man and a black woman.

They moved on, Henry married his high school sweetheart, Merilee, and had a daughter, Rachel.  The marriage was not happy, Merilee did not understand Henry’s artistic passions, she wanted stability.  When Rachel was 8 Henry learned that Lillian had moved to Africa, opening a small orphanage in Rwanda.  He had a few dollars set aside and decided he must take this chance, go to Africa and try to prove he could make it as a serious photographer.  Merilee did not take this plan in stride, the divorce was acrimonious. 

Years later, Rachel was expecting a child, but still wondered what had become of her father, why he had abandoned her.  After Merilee’s death, the box of her father’s belongings Rachel was given, indicated he may have tried to stay in touch, but a lot of time has passed and she yearns to know what became of him.  A clue on the internet will put Rachel on the trail of Lillian, who is not eager to share the story of her time with Henry or the horrors they faced when Rwanda turned into a killing field.  Their stories are intertwined with Nadine’s, a young woman unable to speak of the violence visited upon her when the country went mad with blood lust and Tucker’s a young doctor who tried his best to save lives amid the chaos. 

Early reviews are glowing; the book releases at the first of April and already has garnered praise from authors Wall Lamb, Caroline Leavitt, and Therese Ann.

There will be refreshments and door prizes.  Sign up to attend the free events by calling 541-593-2525, e-mailing sunriverbooks@sunriverbooks.com or stopping by Sunriver Books & Music.  More information on these and other events can be found at sunriverbooks.com

Event date: 

Saturday, March 31, 2018 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm

Event address: 

57100 Beaver Drive
Sunriver Village Building 25
Sunriver, OR 97707
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In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills By Jennifer Haupt Cover Image
$15.95
ISBN: 9781771681339
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Central Avenue Publishing - April 2nd, 2018