The Cherokee - First Chapters

First Chapters. Mariana Jernigan and Regina Dawson couldn’t be more different. They are two women on divergent paths whose lives suddenly intertwine resulting in them both having to face up to the inadequacies of their inner selves as well as their personal lives. Mariana is shy, lacks assertiveness, but is filled with inner calm far beyond her twenty one years. While Regina is direct, in her early forties, the mother of four, and recently divorced for the second time. This story explores the culture and spiritual heritage of the Cherokee Native Americans as well as the post-slavery well to do African Americans who have assimilated to the upper class elite. Regina meets Mariana while she is working as a receptionist at her therapist friend’s office. Mariana ultimately leads her on a spiritual path out of the despair of two failed marriages by confronting the remnants of what was left hanging in a closet of her ancestor’s home in Savannah, Georgia. Explores all sides of the argument for self betterment at the risk of losing close ties to a way of life lived by prior generations of family. Hard edged writing with loads of heart warming, poignant moments. Will keep the reader engaged from start to finish. A must read for all adults and those just moving away from home for the first time to explore an education, career, marriage, or any life change.