Happy Release Day!
Congratulations Sadeqa
on the release today of
Keeper of Lost Children!
Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson
Historical Fiction, World War II, 464 pages
Published February 10, 2026 by 37 Ink
In this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve, one American woman’s vision in post WWII Germany will tie together three people in an unexpected way.
Lost in the streets and smoldering rubble of Occupied Germany, Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American soldier spots a gaggle of mixed-race children following a nun. Desperate to conceive her own family, she feels compelled to follow them to learn their story.
Ozzie Philips volunteers for the army in 1948, eager to break barriers for Black soldiers. Despite his best efforts, he finds the racism he encountered at home in Philadelphia has followed him overseas. He finds solace in the arms of Jelka, a German woman struggling with the lack of resources and even joy in her destroyed country.
In 1965, Sophia Clark discovers she’s been given an opportunity to integrate a prestigious boarding school in Maryland and leave behind her spiteful parents and the grueling demands. In a chance meeting with a fellow classmate, she discovers a secret that upends her world.
Toggling between the lives of these three individuals, Keeper of Lost Children explores how one woman’s vision will change the course of countless lives, and demonstrates that love in its myriad of forms—familial, parental, and forbidden, even love of self—can be transcendent.
My thoughts about Keeper of Lost Children~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First lines—"A hand pounded against the front door. Started from her morning prayers, Sister Proba clutched the cross hanging around her neck, hoping it was just the wind."
Keeper of Lost Children is an amazing story featuring three characters who, unbeknownst to all of them, are connected in the most unexpected way. As the reader learns about each of them in turn, we learn about the hardships they all endured as well as the joys that were a part of their lives. It was beautiful to watch how one's actions had such an impact on the lives of the others.
The writing of Sadeqa Johnson is extraordinary and it made me feel like I was personally involved in the lives of these three people. Her words just flew off of the page and into my imagination.
I love historical fiction because of the things I learn about a time or event in the past that I knew little or nothing about. I wasn't aware of the mixed-race children that were born during the war. This story opened up that world to me and made me want to learn more about it on my own.
This story gives us a little bit different spin on the war, one that is not talked about often. It shows how the unselfish actions of one person can greatly influence the lives of others. I highly recommend Keeper of Lost Children for all readers of historical fiction.
I received an ARC of Keeper of Lost Children and this is my honest opinion.
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About the author
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Sadeqa Johnson is the New York Times best-selling author of five novels. Her accolades include being the 2022 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy finalist, a BCALA Literary Honoree, and the Library of Virginia’s Literary People’s Choice Award winner. She is a Kimbilio Fellow and teaches in the M.F.A. program at Drexel University. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, VA with her husband and three teens. ~ Goodreads
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