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Offering a uniquely musical perspective on the #MeToo experience, this is the story of a talented and fiercely determined musician—a young woman with everything to gain and, ultimately, nothing left to lose—who finds a way through despite multiple betrayals by the men in her life.A Cappella Books welcomes author Ernestine Whitman to discuss her compelling new book, "Countermelodies: A Memoir in Sonata Form." A Q&A and book signing will follow the talk.
This event is free and open to the public, and copies of "Countermelodies" will be available for purchase.
About the Book
Jealous of her brilliant older sister, Ernestine longs for her father’s approval as a little girl but is never good enough. When she discovers a talent for the flute, she meets a charismatic teacher who gives her the encouragement she craves and becomes her surrogate father. After winning several competitions, she dreams of being a professional musician, but her stern father ridicules the idea and forces her to attend Emory University as a math major like her sister.
Ernestine doesn’t give up on her musical dreams, however, and halfway through college she wins the second flute chair in the Atlanta Symphony. There, she sits beside her former teacher, the principal flute. At first, she loves working with him, but after one successful season he turns on her and does everything in his power to get her fired. Devastated by her idol’s merciless harassment, she’s driven into a spiral of suicidal depression. As she tries to recover, her vulnerability is exploited, again and again, by the very men she turns to for help.
A harrowing account of one woman’s battle with twentieth-century misogyny, "Countermelodies" follows Ernestine as, through the darkness, she clings to her love for the flute and her unshakable dream of making it in the cutthroat world of classical music.
About the Author
Ernestine Whitman began her career as a professional flutist at age twenty, making her the youngest member of the Atlanta Symphony. Her passion for teaching brought her to Lawrence University, where she was professor of flute for thirty-three years. A passionate advocate for restorative justice, she volunteers frequently in programs at several Wisconsin prisons. Ernestine and her husband, Howard Niblock, divide their time between their condo in midtown Atlanta and their longtime residence in Appleton.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
A Cappella Books, 208 Haralson Ave NE,Atlanta,GA,United States
