Keeper of Lost Children Book Signing with Sadeqa Johnson

Celebrating Keeper of Lost Children
Thursday, February 26 | 7–9 PM
📍 Da Book Joint (inside Pen & Paper)

Join Da Book Joint for a powerful evening with New York Times bestselling author Sadeqa Johnson as she celebrates the release of her newest historical fiction novel, Keeper of Lost Children. Johnson will be in conversation with Verlean (Vee) of Da Book Joint, diving into the inspiration, research, and emotional depth behind this sweeping, transatlantic story.

Set against the backdrop of post–World War II Germany and mid-20th-century America, Keeper of Lost Children weaves together the lives of three unforgettable characters whose paths are unexpectedly linked by one woman’s vision and compassion.

In 1950s Occupied Germany, Ethel Gathers, the wife of an American officer, discovers an orphanage filled with abandoned mixed-race children born to German women and Black American GIs. Moved by their plight, Ethel becomes determined to find them loving homes.

Meanwhile, Ozzie Phillips, a Philadelphia native, enlists in the newly desegregated U.S. Army in 1948, eager to build a future beyond the limits imposed on him at home. Stationed in Germany, his relationship with a local woman, Jelka, alters the trajectory of his life in lasting ways.

In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is offered a chance to attend a prestigious, all-white boarding school, escaping her emotionally distant parents. While there, she uncovers a revelation that sends her on a journey to understand her own identity and history.

Moving fluidly across time and place, Keeper of Lost Children explores themes of belonging, legacy, and love in its many forms—familial, forbidden, and self-love—revealing how a single act of care can ripple across generations.

Sadeqa Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels. Her novel The House of Eve was an instant New York Times bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club selection, as well as an NAACP Image Award nominee and Goodreads Choice Award finalist. Her earlier novel Yellow Wife earned numerous honors, including the Library of Virginia’s Literary People’s Choice Award and recognition from the Hurston/Wright Foundation and BCALA.

Originally from Philadelphia, Sadeqa Johnson currently resides near Richmond, Virginia.
Learn more at sadeqa.net or follow her on Instagram @SadeqaSays.

📅 Thursday, February 26, 2026
⏰ 7–9 PM
📍 Da Book Joint (inside Pen & Paper)
✍🏽This is a ticketed event, signed book is included in admission.

This event is perfect for lovers of historical fiction, readers of The House of Eve and Yellow Wife, and anyone drawn to stories of resilience, identity, and untold histories.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Da Book Joint, 6900 South Stony Island Avenue, Chicago, United States

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