Author Description

Louisiana, 1960s-1970s. Berti Van der haar, a White girl, gets jolted awake to the world during desegregation of her public elementary school and her all-White neighborhood. At first, her world of adults and siblings propel her developing world view. Yet, it is also her friendship with Roger, a new Black classmate, as well as a spectrum of Black and White teachers that desegregation exposes her to, who further ignite her into weaving a story of love and friendship that cuts through the complicated nature of adults and gives her tools to discern truth. Still, Berti discovers waters of discontent rise when she brings home a Black classmate from school and a Black woman moves in right next door, and that truth is always in a battle with ignorance. But, Berti is rising too, not on her own, but through the lacing of her energy with all the love around her, both Black and White, and discovering where true power lies. Mother Trees is as much a tale of a previous era as it is an eternal call to awaken the inner hero sleeping in everyone, in any century, and especially in the world today.