{"product_id":"how-we-came-to-be-9781680032864","title":"How We Came to Be","description":"Fifty-year-old Karen Anders, a high school English teacher and the adoptive mother of Tiffany, comes to terms with being a single-parent and a clumsy drunk in the multicultural melting pot of Houston, Texas, as she forges an unlikely friendship with Leona Supak, a WWII Hungarian refugee, who inspires Karen to change her views on motherhood, drinking, and men. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKaren's teaching job provides an ongoing challenge with low scoring students and a lack of support from school administrators. Meanwhile, Tiffany moves to Austin to attend the University of Texas, but soon neglects her academic life when she meets a gamer boyfriend and begins a job at the Ink \u0026amp; Juice, a tattoo parlor-juicing bar. Tiffany hides the truth of her new life from Karen through a text-only relationship. Feeling rejected, Karen explores the paradox of romance for the middle-aged. Despite the challenges, a family unit comes together inspired by strangers and second chances in \u003ci\u003eHow We Came to Be.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA former teacher and journalist, JOHNNIE BERNHARD's work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eUniversity of Michigan Graduate Studies Publications\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHeart of Ann Arbor Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHouston Style Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSouthern Writers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eMagazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Texas Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSouthern Literary Review\u003c\/i\u003e. She is the author of the novels \u003ci\u003eSisters of the Undertow\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Good Girl\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHow We Came to Be.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Trp: The University Press of Shsu","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52160344719634,"sku":"9781680032864","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_97250594-f790-4868-b88e-1e2b4d45683a.jpg?v=1775054556","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/how-we-came-to-be-9781680032864","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}