New Harmony: A Mother’s Story of Love and Loss
by Leon E. Pettiway

In New Harmony, South Carolina, the past is never far from the present. Margaret grows up surrounded by family, faith, and the quiet expectations of life in the Jim Crow South. From girlhood to motherhood, she learns how to navigate a world defined by boundaries she did not create, yet must endure.

When the murder of her son shatters the foundation of her life, grief becomes both an ache and a reckoning. As she searches for meaning in unimaginable loss, Margaret turns inward — revisiting family stories, spiritual conviction, and the steady presence of her community. Through remembrance, she begins to understand how love and sorrow can coexist, and how survival often depends on collective strength.

Rich in atmosphere and grounded in lived experience, this historical novel offers a deeply human exploration of motherhood, memory, and resilience in the face of injustice.

“A moving debut that honors the enduring power of love and reflection.” – Kirkus Reviews

“New Harmony provides a deeply affecting exploration of the human condition and the enduring struggles of a family navigating a world marked by prejudice and inequality.” – Readers’ Favorite

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Leon E. Pettiway, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, Bloomington, where his scholarship focused on race, environment, and criminal justice in urban America. Over the course of his academic career, he examined how structural inequality shapes lived experience and social outcomes. In later years, his work expanded to explore how Eastern and Western philosophical traditions might inform conversations about justice and morality. A fully ordained Buddhist monk in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, he now devotes his time to spiritual practice, teaching, and writing. New Harmony: A Mother’s Story of Love and Loss is his debut novel.  You can learn more on his website and follow him on Instagram.