Bunkley, Anita R

Kiana Sheridan leaves behind her teaching job and her boring boyfriend when she sets out to research her African-American heritage as part of her doctoral dissertation, and is puzzled when she encounters resistance from family members who, for some reason, want to sabotage her efforts.

An African American woman struggles for survival and success during the Texas oil boom of the 1920s.

Twenty-year-old Sara Jane Talbot, released from jail after serving five years for her unwitting role in a violent robbery, catches a lucky break when the cosmetology license she earned in prison lands her a job as personal stylist to a world-famous singer, but she is haunted by fears that the secrets of her past are going to catch up with her--a fear she soon learns is not unfounded.