Historical Fiction Book Review: The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

By Lynn Hutchins | Central Library 

Dear Mr. Editor, I wish to find my mother . . .

This is a real advertisement posted by a family member in the Southwestern Christian Advocate newspaper looking to reunite with a loved one. According to the Lost Friends database, the ads in this New Orleans newspaper were published and distributed to preachers, post offices, and subscribers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas between November 1879 and November 1896. The Lost Friends notices that were featured in this newspaper contained messages from individuals searching for loved ones who had been sold away during the time of slavery.

Lisa Wingate takes these advertisements and brings them to life in her new book, The Book of Lost Friends. She tells the story of former slaves desperately seeking their lost loved ones in the years following the Civil War.

The story alternates between 1987 and 1875. In 1987 first-year school teacher Benedetta Silva finds herself teaching in a rural Louisiana town among poverty-stricken students and run-down plantation homes. There she discovers the story of Hannie Gossett. Benedetta finds that the history of this young slave woman’s long-ago journey and a book of lost friends could forever change the lives of her present-day students.

As I read The Book of Lost Friends, I was completely captivated by the amazing stories of these two young women who lived 100 years apart. Through their stories I was reminded of the importance of remembering the history of our society and preserving it for future generations.

Lisa Wingate has become one of my favorite authors. According to Goodreads, she is “a former journalist, an inspirational speaker, and the bestselling author of more than thirty books. Her blockbuster Before We Were Yours was on the NYT best seller list for over one year.” She believes “stories can change the world.