From the author of Yellow Wife comes a heartwarming, moving story about two Black women trying to overcome their circumstances in 1950s America—and the stumbling blocks each faces that could upend everything they’ve worked so hard for.

When Eleanor, a small-town girl from Ohio, meets William at university, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of Washington, DC’s elite Black families, and his parents are less than welcoming to Eleanor. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and give her life the meaning she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done.

Ruby is a teenager whose single-minded determination to win a college scholarship keeps her grounded despite her turbulent home life in a poor neighborhood in Philadelphia. When she finds herself pregnant after falling in love with a white Jewish boy named Shimmy, she gets sent off to a home for “wayward girls” where she must wait out her pregnancy under the strict eye of the Catholic nuns.

In With the World Between Us, the lives of Ruby and Eleanor collide in the most unexpected ways as each woman carves a place for herself in 1950s America. This touching and propulsive novel features star-crossed love, ambition, and the sacrifices women make to find their way in the world.

Sadeqa Johnson is the award-winning author of four novels, including Yellow Wife. Her accolades include the National Book Club Award, the Phillis Wheatley Book Award, and the USA Best Book Award for Best Fiction. She is a Kimbilio Fellow, former board member of the James River Writers, and a Tall Poppy Writer. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and three children. To learn more, visit SadeqaJohnson.net.