Postcards from Cookie

A Memoir of Motherhood, Miracles, and a Whole Lot of Mail

By: Caroline Clarke

Narrated by: Caroline Clarke

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

Award-winning journalist and host of Black Enterprise Business Report Caroline Clarke’s moving memoir of her surprise discovery of her birth mother - Cookie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole - and the relationship that blossomed between them through the heartfelt messages they exchanged on hundreds of postcards.

Caroline Clarke was born in an era when adoptions were shameful, secret, and sealed. While she wondered about her biological parents, she kept her curiosity in check, until a series of small health problems raised concerns about her genetic heritage and its consequences for her two children’s lives as well as her own.

Though Spence-Chapin Family Service, the agency that handled her adoption, could not reveal the name of her birth mother, it was able to provide details that lead to a shocking truth. Caroline’s birth mother and her family were related to a friend. The woman who gave her life was none other than Carole “Cookie” Cole, the daughter of iconic crooner and pianist Nat King Cole.

Drawing on details provided by the agency and her own investigative skills, Caroline embarked on a life-changing journey of discovery that stretched from coast to coast, forged through email, phone calls, and postcards. The constancy, volume, and intimacy of her steady correspondence with Cookie filled the days and distance between them. Through brief yet poignant messages squeezed onto three-inch open-faced squares, mother and daughter revealed themselves, sharing secrets, taking risks, and ultimately building a bond like no other.

A heartfelt, inspiring tribute to both Caroline’s adoptive parents and her biological mother, Postcards from Cookie illuminates the enduring power of love to shape and guide our lives.

©2014 Caroline Clarke (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Lessons of life.

Loved each teachable moment of this book. The author truly let us in on very personal experiences with such intentional scriptive thoughts. Thank you for sharing.

WOW! WOW! WOW!

Story so vivid and captivating. The story transports you in the journey; time and place. You can see yourself a fly on the wall as everything transpires.

I didn’t want to stop the audio, I didn’t want it to end. Sigh, what a story and narration.

Thanks Caroline for sharing your life with us. Just wonderful!

Fascinating story

One of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to. So much history and even ties to a city close to where I’m from in North Carolina.

tear jerker

definitely loved this book. not everyone can bond like that with so much time in between. they allowed themselves to become friends. what a treasure.

Thanks For Sharing

I love memoirs. Each story is perfectly unique to the author so how can they truly be rated. Thanks for sharing your story.

Fascinating story!

The events are both stunning and ordinary, and told with such frankness and compassion. Don't miss this one!

Beautiful story

I loved this book! I cried at the end. It’s beautifully written and read by the author. I don’t write many reviews, but this book moved me. Highly recommend!

Amazing!!

Loved every single bit of this. God Bless you Caroline and Cookie. Love & Light🕉

A peek into a long kept secret

I’m glad she shared her story. It was an interesting one. Some parts dragged but I stayed with it until the end.

Excellent read!

loved the author reading this book. she drew me into the story quickly. I highly recommend.