Ruth Fitz is surrounded by activism. Her mother is a senator, her father is a professor of African American history, and her beloved older sister, Virginia, is a natural activist, steadily gaining notoriety within the community and on social media. Ruth, on the other hand, would rather sit quietly reading or writing in her journal.

When Virginia is killed on the way to a protest, Ruth stops speaking and writing, not believing herself worthy of the power of words. Then her mother is picked as the next democratic vice-presidential nominee and her family must join her on the campaign trail. Ruth can see her family falling apart under the pressure of grief and national, often racist, attention. Suddenly, Ruth begins receiving parchment letters from Harriet Jacobs, the author of the autobiography and 1861 American classic, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Harriet urges Ruth to find her voice again and join the legacy of scribes who use their words to heal and to change the world.

Ruth wonders if she’s dreaming or going insane, receiving scrolls from a woman long dead. But with the help of Harriet and memories of her sister, Ruth finds the power to speak, to write, and to control her own narrative. In a story that blends present with past, Randi Pink explores two extraordinary characters who channel their hopelessness and find their voices to make history.