Forty-year-old Ellen Johnson lives in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, Mike, and two young daughters, Jill and Kelly. Following a tragic accident on Christmas Day that takes the lives of her family, Ellen finds herself desperate to redefine who she is now that she’s no longer a wife and a mother. She drives to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to escape from anyone who knows her and her tragic story. Little does she know when she makes the reservations to the oceanfront casino that she would become caught up in an arrest that completely changes the path of her life. Ellen meets a new man who is handsome, self-confident, and the perfect protector at a time when she feels most vulnerable. But can this new man and his investigation team take care of her in the world he’s pulled her into? How can she prove her trust in him if he runs when his confidence gets broken? Ellen finds herself loving a man who becomes elusive, another who is out of reach, and a third who could arrest her if he finds out how she defends herself one August evening. Who can she trust? Who can she tell her story to and know her name is safe on his lips?

This unique collection of poetry reaches out to readers of all kinds, offering the compelling voice of a woman who grew up and lived in the United State as an Arab and an American.

The Lock on My Lips is an intense drama that foregrounds the conflict over land ownership as a metaphor for contemporary gender inequalities in an African context. Mrs Ghamogha Manka has bought land in Kibaaka against customary law, where land is believed to belong to the man. Tried and found guilty by customary law, she is ordered to transfer ownership of the said land to her husband to avoid dire consequences. A fierce champion for women’s causes, Mrs Ghamogha seeks redress in the modern legal system, converting a domestic conflict into a collective battle between customary and Western-derived legal systems.

When she hears Charles Draysmith's sensible and practical marriage proposal, Emma Peterson is certain he's not the one for her.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1875.