{"product_id":"the-second-life-of-mirielle-west-a-haunting-historical-novel-perfect-for-book-clubs-9781496726513","title":"The Second Life of Mirielle West: A Haunting Historical Novel Perfect for Book Clubs","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe glamorous world of a silent film star's wife abruptly crumbles when she's forcibly quarantined at the Carville Lepers Home in this page-turning story of courage, resilience, and reinvention set in 1920s Louisiana and Los Angeles. Based on little-known history, this timely book will strike a chord with readers of Fiona Davis, Tracey Lange, and Marie Benedict. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBased on the true story of America's only leper colony, \u003ci\u003eThe Second Life of Mirielle West\u003c\/i\u003e brings vividly to life the Louisiana institution known as Carville, where thousands of people were stripped of their civil rights, branded as lepers, and forcibly quarantined throughout the entire 20th century. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor Mirielle West, a 1920's socialite married to a silent film star, the isolation and powerlessness of the Louisiana Leper Home is an unimaginable fall from her intoxicatingly chic life of bootlegged champagne and the star-studded parties of Hollywood's Golden Age. When a doctor notices a pale patch of skin on her hand, she's immediately branded a leper and carted hundreds of miles from home to Carville, taking a new name to spare her family and famous husband the shame that accompanies the disease. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt first she hopes her exile will be brief, but those sent to Carville are more prisoners than patients and their disease has no cure. Instead she must find community and purpose within its walls, struggling to redefine her self-worth while fighting an unchosen fate. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs a registered nurse, Amanda Skenandore's medical background adds layers of detail and authenticity to the experiences of patients and medical professionals at Carville - the isolation, stigma, experimental treatments, and disparate community. A tale of repulsion, resilience, and the Roaring '20s, \u003ci\u003eThe Second Life of Mirielle West \u003c\/i\u003eis also the story of a health crisis in America's past, made all the more poignant by the author's experiences during another, all-too-recent crisis. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR AMANDA SKENANDORE'S \u003ci\u003eBETWEEN EARTH AND SKY\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Intensely emotional...Skenandore's deeply introspective and moving novel will appeal to readers of American history.\" --\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Skenandore, Amanda\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/27\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Kensington Publishing Corporation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781496726513\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 384\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.78lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.25h x 5.60w x 1.13d","brand":"Amanda Skenandore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39467519836235,"sku":"9781496726513","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0021\/1697\/6715\/products\/img_0fcf300f-4a8b-4a78-a81d-892267820583.jpg?v=1628610665","url":"https:\/\/blackbookstore.com\/products\/the-second-life-of-mirielle-west-a-haunting-historical-novel-perfect-for-book-clubs-9781496726513","provider":"Black Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}