On My Own at 107: Reflections on Life Without Bessie

The surviving sister of the pair whose story was told in Having Our Say recounts her transition from mourning the loss of her sister, Bessie, to a renewed zest for life, symbolized by Bessie's flower garden. $150,000 ad/promo.

"Letting go of you was the hardest thing I've ever done," says 107-year-old Sarah "Sadie" Delany about the death last year--at age 104--of her sister, Bessie. With coauthor Hearth, the sisters produced the fondly read best-seller, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1994), in which they shared a wealth of observations and wisdom garnered from their incredible longevity. Now alone, Sadie still lives in the house in Mount Vernon, New York, that she shared with her sister. Sadie looks back over the past 12 months since Bessie's death, focusing, in particular, on the most poignant reminder of Bessie, the garden out back she loved so much. Sadie ponders life's differences without her beloved sibling; fortunately, her deep religious faith and her wonderful memories have given Sadie much to hold onto. This gentle, loving, inspirational account will appeal more to those who have read Having Our Say, but expect demand even from people who have not read the previous book. Brad Hooper

In 1995, at age 106, Sarah Delaney found herself living on her own for the first time in her life when her sister Bessie died at the age of 104. The remarkable Delaney sisters, strong, independent-minded African American women who shared a house for 40 years in Mount Vernon, N.Y., achieved fame in 1993 with their bestselling self-portrait, Having Our Say, which was followed by The Delaney Sisters' Book of Everyday Wisdom (both coauthored with Hearth). In a touching tribute to Bessie, Sarah addresses her sister directly, articulating her grief, despair, loss and loneliness. She also meditates on the afterlife, in which she firmly believes, and mingles childhood memories with recollections of their careers-Bessie was a dentist in Harlem, while Sarah became the first black woman high-school home economics teacher in New York City. Charmingly illustrated with color drawings of flowers (in honor of Bessie, a dedicated gardener), this unpretentious book conveys a wisdom that makes it a life-raft for anyone coping with the loss of a loved one. $150,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Sadie, the surviving Delany sister, an inspiriting testimony to love and faith as she recalls life with Bessie and the challenge of learning to live on without her. With coauthor Hearth, who first brought the remarkable African-American Delany sisters to public attention in 1993 with their bestselling memoir Having Our Say, Sadie now describes the year following Bessie's death in September 1995. The two had been together since their distant childhood in North Carolina and all through the long remaining years in New York. As the older sister by two years, she never expected to survive Bessie: ``It doesn't seem natural that I outlived you . . . learning that I am a separate human being . . . for the first time in my life.'' But in the months ahead, Sadie does learn how to endure on her own and how to find pleasure in living. Summoning up the same religious faith that carried her through the worst excesses of Jim Crow legislation, she offers her memories of Bessie, and the conviction that Bessie is in heaven with their parents as a consolation for her grief. She punctuates her account of the passing year with comments on the flowers Bessie loved and cultivated in her garden, comforting quotations from the Bible, and what she's learned about life: ``To make the best of life, to keep trying, no matter what.'' But the same zest that made the sisters centenarian celebrities also enables Sadie to make a fulfilling life on her own. She starts writing this book, educates the young about the past, gives a party to celebrate Bessie's birthday, and is honored in turn on her 107th birthday. By the year's end, she's busy and content: ``Don't worry about me, Sister Bessie. Child, I've got plans.'' A bracing reminder from an exemplary teacher that life, a rare gift, must be savored in the living. (illustrations, not seen) ($150,000 ad/promo; TV satellite tour) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.