Rosie's Umbrella

Rosie's Umbrella by Denny Taylor

“What an amazing adventure. To put it mildly, it is a page-turner. If you are searching for a story that will capture all the members of your book club this is it! – Dorothy Watson, Professor Emeritus of Education, University of Missouri

About the Book

Rosie’s Umbrella is about love and loss, forgetting and remembering, losing one’s self and becoming someone you never knew or imagined being. We meet 14-year-old Rosie Llywelyn in Boston in 1995 at the moment her life is changed forever by a tragedy that occurred in a coalmining village in Wales in 1955. From the very first page the reader experiences the emotional turmoil Rosie feels as she tries to find out what has happened to her Aunt Sarah and why her parents won’t tell her why they have had Sarah committed to a psychiatric unit in a nearby hospital.

As Taylor engages the reader in Rosie’s tragic family story of guilt and forgiveness, she falls into her own family history, and the reader falls with her – as she exposes the cruelty of governments, the wounds of being lumpen, the exploitation of poor families and children, and the trauma of the forced migration of hundreds of thousands of miners and their families from the Welsh coal mining valleys in the first half of the twentieth century.

As Rosie struggles to find her own truth with the support of her teacher and friends in school, she realizes another family tragedy is about to happen. Falling faster now through the pages, Taylor makes sure readers stay on the page with Rosie and her friends through their political awakening to the devastation that power and privilege has on poor people, and to their own vision for the future. Until, filled with love, laughter, and the will to survive, they are ready for the struggle that they know lies ahead. Visit the Rosie’s Umbrella Book Hub.

Buy

Endorsements and Reviews

A novel with a keen understanding of the complexity of family secrets and the tensions between loving family members.” – Kirkus Review

Rosie's Umbrella is a gripping, page-turning, wild ride, fueled by great passion, deep humanity, and an urgent call for justice.” – James Paul Gee, Mary Lou Presidential Professor, Arizona State University.

“What an amazing adventure. To put it mildly, it is a page-turner. If you are searching for a story that will capture all the members of your book club this is it! – Dorothy Watson, Professor Emeritus of Education, University of Missouri

“… The book’s depiction of the pain of buried family history and strained family relationships is poignant and provides its emotional through line … A novel with a keen understanding of the complexity of family secrets and the tensions between loving family members.” - Kirkus Review

“Rosie’s Umbrella is a moving meditation as well as a novel, one that crosses continents and time in order to explore the ways in which the ghost of things past, dramatic and disturbing, can go on affecting lives into the future. It is also a mystery – and a real page-turner. Finally and in these difficult times we are living through, with political storm-clouds getting ever closer, it is a tender and affirmative story that reminds the reader of what great consequences our small actions of remembering and affection can have, and how much we can accomplish if we just stick together – across countries, and across the generations. I read it in a single sweep, and recommend you do the same.” - Geoff Ward, Principal of Homerton College and Deputy Vice, Chancellor at the University of Cambridge, and Chairman of the Fitzwilliam Museum

“Wonderful insights into Welsh history and culture. It is easy to forget the struggles of miners.” - Yetta M. Goodman, Regents Professor Emerita, University of Arizona

“I couldn't put it down in spite of being so busy, a great story and characters AND what a wonderful reflection on memory and history.” - Ruth Finnegan, FBA, OBE, Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, The Open University, UK

“In Rosie's Umbrella, Denny Taylor beautifully captures what happens when young adults have opportunities to grapple with injustices that relate to identity, culture, and history. With a bit of support and guidance from adults like Aunt Sarah and teacher Margaret, all adolescents like Rosie have the potential to find their voices and take action as social agents of change. This novel will inspire young and old to pursue their own social justice investigation.” - Monica Taylor, Associate Professor, Montclair University

“Once in a while a novel comes around and not only touches me as a reader but an educator as well. This novel does both. As an educator, I am inspired to be more like Margaret, Rosie’s teacher, committed to helping children develop their voice in telling stories. Taylor weaves together a 21st century family complete with secrets of about their history in 19th century Wales. The vivid accounts of both past and present will resonate with all audiences. This is a highly readable, enjoyable book, deserving of wide circulation.”- Pat Geyer, Teacher-Educator, Hofstra University

“I loved this book!!! It is a powerful and enjoyable read that will leave you wanting more." - Kathy Olmstead, Assistant Professor, Brockport College, SUNY

Book News, Garn Press News, Denny TaylorGarn PressJuly 8, 2019