An uncontrollable series of events transform the lives of two teenagers the night of RFK’s assassination. The unforgettable heroine of A Theory of Expanded Love returns in this coming-of-age adventure about love, justice and the memorable year of 1968.

Seventeen-year-old Annie Shea is feeling good about her life. Performing a solo in a glee club production of HAIR, she has a crush on the show’s star, Lucas Jones, a talented black singer/dancer from Watts. Annie sneaks away from home to volunteer for Robert Kennedy, and proudly rides alongside his car as part of his campaign entourage.

On a hot June night inside the crowded ballroom of The Ambassador Hotel, Annie and Lucas witness the triumph of RFK’s presidential campaign. Seconds later, RFK is shot, and the two follow his ambulance through the streets of LA—a tragic and chaotic ride that upends their young lives forever. 

Soon after, Annie ditches her first day of university to drive Lucas and her brother to Canada to evade the law. Throughout the suspense of their hasty road trip up the coast of California, Annie unearths her brother’s unbearable secrets. She connects with Lucas’s generous heart while sorting out justice and privilege, racism, sexuality, love, and the dark forces of war. 

In the sequel to the award-winning A Theory of Expanded Love, Annie is determined to find her voice. Thrust into making excruciating decisions, Annie begins to understand the new roles she must navigate as a woman in a fast-changing society, amidst the chaos, danger and social change of the late Sixties.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

“Just as good as A THEORY OF EXPANDED LOVE. Strong, complex characters, vivid descriptions, tension and dialogue that move the story forward at just the right pace.
Sydney Avey, author of The Trials of Nellie Belle 

“Wonderful – a very engrossing read. Great characters. Excellent plot, lots of action and suspense.” – Nancy Boyarsky, author of The Swap and Liar, Liar!

“A Must Read for anyone who came of age in the Sixties”
Or their children or grandchildren. Brilliantly recapturing the era, Caitlin Hicks takes the reader on a joyous, poignant, thoughtful romp through first love, social awareness, racial tensions, gender and family issues and the authentic search for one’s personal identity and place in life. Highly recommended. – Katherine Hemsworth, Sunshine Coast Book Club

“Terrific book. . . a remarkably original voice.”
“Holds up. And moves the dial forward. Annie is such a fascinating character … and with such a remarkably original voice. So many moments which are exceptionally real, and contain a rock-solid truth. Interesting, (especially now), a time where everything feels like a half truth or an out-and-out lie.
“Even though it’s an historical piece, it also feels very much of the times.”
-Ben Ged Low, Filmmaker

“Hard to put down as it is quickly paced with a number of co- occurring story lines. Based in the year 1968 in America, it was the era in which I was the same age as your protagonist/narrator, but with one significant difference, I’m Canadian.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the book. You capture perfectly the upheaval of the times with the Vietnam war looming large on the nightly TV screens and the race riots, and the assignation of two leading lights, MLK and RFK just months apart.
“Against this setting are the personal challenges of the coming of age of the protagonist, as the realization that the perfect society she was brought up to believe in starts to crack and peel in the light of reality also impacting her black friend Lucas and her brother disillusioned about the young men dying in Vietnam.
“You brought a smile to my face at the narrators thoughts of the promise of Canada, the country she has never thought of before but suddenly looms large as a sanctuary for her brother.
“I would recommend this to anyone from that era or now who wants to get a sense of the tenor of the times.
Great job.
Kathy Pierce, Beta Reader

“Poignant love story . . . powerful and relevant. . . this story will stay with you.”
“Kennedy Girl is a poignant love story between a white girl and a black guy which is not that uncommon today. Yet the racial tension in the US in the late 1960’s makes this coming-of-age novel powerful and relevant.
“The deeper elements of this story will stay with you. I especially liked the book because it captures the timeless awakening to the bigger world, that particular point in our youth when we must define our values and standards for living our lives.“
Jane Catherine Rozek, award-winning author of The Celestial Proposal. 

by Caitlin Hicks
Page Count: 290
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Publish Date: April 25, 2023
Imprint: Brown Posey Press
Genre: Literary Fiction

FICTION / Coming of Age
FICTION / Historical / 20th Century / General
FICTION / Literary