Sandy Brown Lindstedt

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I Am Fireflies Ascending

She was a bad girl.... chastising never took... “I was told I was a child filled with iniquity and headed for destruction, dat only God could set me on the right path....well, we jus' sees 'bout dat!” As a child, Sandy Hall grew up in the infamous ghettos of Chicago's south-side with her mother, stepfather and five siblings. She lived on burnt beans and broken promises while forced to move from one tenement to the next, hours ahead of eviction. They finally settle into the 'Projects', where her stepfather, a Kentucky hustler, taught her the art of the hustle — conning kids out of money, playing cards and discovering the magic of a 'dancing chicken'. She spends her summers in Hooks,Texas with her grandmother, where she is forced to learn lessons that change her life forever. This is the fascinating first installment of a three part series narrated by Sandra Brown Lindstedt. She tells the story of her journey from impoverished child in the ghettos of Chicago, to playwright and author now living in Sweden. All of these amazing stories are portrayed in the book with exuberance, humor and compelling emotion. Loved the poetic writing — dreamy and edgy — all woven into one. And it's scary honest! This book has the smell and sound like I'm watching a motion picture. For instance, I swear I could feel the linen with my finger tips when her grandma was ironing. I was cheering for little, sometimes sassy, Sandy with fortitude in her ever-changing life. I was glued to the book and I can't wait to see how this story unfolds! — Romi Stoner, Japanese Ancestral Society of Portland It's an exciting, interesting and life-giving story that you can imagine yourself being a part of. It's a novel that you absolutely want to hear a continuation of! — Håkan Forshult, producer & cultural humanist The language is so expressive that I can sense both colors, scents, fears and love. And her childhood didn't leave me untouched — I am happy that she shows that the power comes from within… — Petra Ekengren, teacher Sandra Brown Lindstedt graduated from Lewis and Clark College, where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre. She lived in New York, working on and off Broadway. She has written numerous plays and poetry in USA and in Sweden and this is her first novel.