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Laila’s Year In Books

Laila’s 2024 Year in Books

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Laila Ibrahim

Goodreads Author

Born

in Whittier, California, The United States

Website

http://www.lailaibrahim.com

Genre

Historical Fiction, Women & Gender Studies, Literature & Fiction

Influences

Amy Tan, Alice Walker, Sue Monk Kidd, Barbara Kingsolver,

Member Since

January 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/lailadibrahim

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My education and experience in multiracial, developmental psychology and attachment theory provide ample fodder for my novels. My passion for early childhood education, child birth and religious education are reflected in my writing.

I was the founder and director of Woolsey Children's School where I had first hand experience loving children that were not my own. There are scenes in Yellow Crocus that were largely influenced interactions I had with children from Woolsey.

As a birth doula I had the privilege of witnessing the intensity and joy of childbirth. You can see that my birth experiences are reflected in my novels.

Spiritual themes that cross over multiple religious traditions come directly from working as the Director of Children and My education and experience in multiracial, developmental psychology and attachment theory provide ample fodder for my novels. My passion for early childhood education, child birth and religious education are reflected in my writing.

I was the founder and director of Woolsey Children's School where I had first hand experience loving children that were not my own. There are scenes in Yellow Crocus that were largely influenced interactions I had with children from Woolsey.

As a birth doula I had the privilege of witnessing the intensity and joy of childbirth. You can see that my birth experiences are reflected in my novels.

Spiritual themes that cross over multiple religious traditions come directly from working as the Director of Children and Family Ministries at the First Unitarian Church in Oakland.

I live in a small co-housing community in Berkeley, California, with my wonderful wife, Rinda and our beloved dog, Hazel. Our young adult children are our pride and joy.

I'm very grateful to be a full time writer starting in 2015.

I was surprised when the writing bug bit me. The idea for the story came to me in 1998, I was with a group of people talking about Tiger Woods. Someone mentioned that he identifies as much as an Asian person as an African-American person. I thought to myself, "Of course he does, his mother is Asian. You form your core identity in relationship to your primary caregivers. It's a basic part of the attachment process."

Then the image of Lisbeth, a white baby, breastfeeding in the loving arms of Mattie, an enslaved wetnurse came to me in a flash. I thought about what it would be like for Lisbeth to dearly love Mattie and then be taught by society that she wasn't a full person. I wondered how it would feel for Mattie to be forced to abandon Samuel, her own child, in the slave Quarters. Then I imagined what the experience would be like for Miss Anne, the birth mother, to have her own child twist away from her to get into Mattie's arms. These characters started to haunt me. Various scenes popped into my head. Though I had never written anything, I was being called to tell this story. For my fortieth birthday, I began the personal marathon of writing my first novel. I hope you will come to love these characters as much as I have.

At face value Living Right seems like a big leap from Yellow Crocus, but it deals with the same themes: a caregiver loving across a huge societal barrier.

I LOVED returning to Mattie, Lisbeth and Jordan for Mustard Seed. The story of finding faith in hopeless times really resonates for me. I plan to return to their families' ongoing journey after I finish my current novel-Paper Wife.

Paper Wife focuses on Mei Ling, a young Chinese woman immigrating to San Francisco through Angel Island a in the early 1920's. Reactionary anti-immigration laws in the United States and warfare in China caused people desperate for survival to be misleading about their identities so they could be united with family and have access to work. Mei Ling yearns to have a life of integrity though it was built on a foundation of lies.

Golden Poppies returns to the Freedman and Johnson families. It was fascinating to bring them to California, to look at the suffrage movement, and to see how they could keep their connection strong in spite of the very different social worlds they occupied.

I'm feeling a tug to bring the descendants of these families to the 2000s. Scarlet Carnation gets us to World War 1. I'm just starting the World War 2 era novel. ...more

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Laila Ibrahim’s books

Average rating: 4.26 · 165,363 ratings · 12,087 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	Yellow Crocus (Freedman/Johnson, #1) 4.34 avg rating — 84,168 ratings — published 2010	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mustard Seed (Freedman/Johnson, #2) 4.29 avg rating — 26,994 ratings — published 2017 — 34 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Paper Wife 4.12 avg rating — 25,148 ratings — published 2018 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Golden Poppies (Freedman/Johnson, #3) 4.11 avg rating — 16,380 ratings — published 2020 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scarlet Carnation (Freedman/Johnson, #4) 4.16 avg rating — 8,113 ratings — published 2022 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Falling Wisteria (Yellow Crocus, #5) 4.12 avg rating — 1,581 ratings — published 2024 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Living Right 3.93 avg rating — 1,474 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	After the Rain 3.88 avg rating — 1,333 ratings — published 2024 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Yellow Crocus - excerpt from 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Entry 4.30 avg rating — 171 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Yellow Crocus 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Laila Ibrahim…

36 posts
Laila Ibrahim's Blog

Coming out again... and again... and again

We talk about coming out as if it’s something you only do once. In my experience it’s an ongoing part of life. Sometimes it’s easy, and other times it makes my stomach flutter.

I first came out as a lesbian 30 years ago when I was still in college. Initially I was very careful about whom I shared this tender information with. In 1985 being gay felt both like being part of a special club and livi Read more of this blog post »

View more on Laila Ibrahim's website »

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Published on June 15, 2016 12:00

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Series by Laila Ibrahim

Freedman/Johnson (4 books)
by

Laila Ibrahim (Goodreads Author)

4.29 avg rating — 135,647 ratings

Laila is Currently Reading

Laila Ibrahim is currently reading

The Women

by Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 01, 2025 08:23PM

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Outlawed

by Anna North (Goodreads Author)

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Aug 19, 2025 09:26PM

Laila Ibrahim is currently reading

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)

by George R.R. Martin

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Jul 22, 2025 02:15PM

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Laila’s Recent Updates

Laila Ibrahim is currently reading The Women by Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Historical Fiction, Readers' Favorite Audiobook	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 01, 2025 08:23PM · 3 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Women by Kristin Hannah. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Women by Kristin Hannah <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laila Ibrahim is currently reading Outlawed by Anna North (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 19, 2025 09:26PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Outlawed by Anna North. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Outlawed by Anna North <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laila Ibrahim is currently reading A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2) by George R.R. Martin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 22, 2025 02:15PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laila Ibrahim is currently reading Look Closer by David Ellis	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 12, 2025 02:31PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Look Closer by David Ellis. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Look Closer by David Ellis <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laila Ibrahim is currently reading The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass, #0.1-0.5) by Sarah J. Maas (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 06, 2025 01:02AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laila Ibrahim rated a book it was amazing Falling Wisteria (Yellow Crocus, #5) by Laila Ibrahim (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 26, 2025 03:24PM · 7 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Falling Wisteria by Laila Ibrahim. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Falling Wisteria by Laila Ibrahim <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laila Ibrahim finished reading Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1) by Sarah J. Maas (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 09, 2025 10:55AM · 2 likes · like
Laila Ibrahim is currently reading Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1) by Sarah J. Maas (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 21, 2024 06:57PM · like
Laila Ibrahim finished reading A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #4) by Sarah J. Maas (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 19, 2024 06:42PM · 1 like · like
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Jul 01, 2024 10:58AM · like

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Quotes by Laila Ibrahim (?)

“Focus on bearing, and beauty will follow. Your looks will not remain with you for life. But your bearing will go with you to the grave.”
― Laila Ibrahim, Yellow Crocus

12 likes

“It will seem impossible to take the first step. But on the second step, since you already did one, you know you can take another. Then another and another. Before long you will have walked into your new life.”
― Laila Ibrahim, Paper Wife

tags: courage, future

8 likes

“But I know a good man make life more sweet. Someone to hold you and love you, someone to share your dreams with, someone kind and thoughtful. A good man’s a treasure.”
― Laila Ibrahim, Yellow Crocus

6 likes

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Polls

What shall we read in December, 2022? Books published after 1990.

Wingwalkers, by Taylor Brown

13 votes 25.5%

Darktown, by Thomas Mullen

11 votes 21.6%

Yellow Crocus, by Laila Ibrahim

10 votes 19.6%

Southern Christmas: Literary Classics of the Holidays, edited by Judy Long

9 votes 17.6%

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had, by Kristin Levine

4 votes 7.8%

A Thorn Among the Lilies, by Michael Hiebert

4 votes 7.8%

51 total votes

1 comment

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2011: Completed Tasks -DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2866	787	Feb 29, 2012 09:03PM
Fans of Amish Fic...: Nominate April 2012's Group Read VOTING CLOSED!	20	20	Mar 16, 2012 06:49AM
Bookworm Bitches : What are you currently reading/just finished? (Not Club Selections) ~ May 2012	176	120	May 31, 2012 09:06AM
The Seasonal Read...: 10.1 - Skip To My Lou	23	142	Jun 15, 2012 06:37PM
Crazy Challenge C...: Crazy Chocolate Challenge	199	149	Jun 23, 2012 07:19AM
Crazy Challenge C...: May 2012 Scavenger Hunt	107	102	Jul 11, 2012 06:10AM

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Laila’s Quotes

“At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.”
― Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

tags: acquiescence, surrender

145 likes

Laila’s Year In Books

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Laila Ibrahim

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