Wearing Purple - Rilegato

Lydia Lewis Alexander, Ed.D, is an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She lives in Bessemer, Alabama.

Marilyn Hill Harper, M.D., is a clinical professor at The University of California San Francisco Medical School; she lives in San Francisco.

Otis Holloway Owens, M.A., is an assistant vice president at the University of North Florida; she lives in Jacksonville.

Mildred Lucas Patterson, M.A.,is a motivational reading specialist; she lives in University City, Missouri.

Forty years ago, four black women met at Talladega College and began an enduring friendship that has sustained them through the tumultuous social events of the past four decades and the personal events that fill their private lives. Nearly eight years ago, these women--Mildred, Otis, Marilyn, and Lydia--though they all lived in different parts of the country, decided to form a "working circle" friendship and write letters to each other. In these letters, the women explore thoughts and feelings about their current and future life experiences.

Wearing Purple is a compilation of these heartfelt letters, revealing the joy, sadness, laughter, and fears of four friends approaching middle age. Sharing these experiences, which range from raising children to approaching retirement to discussing sex and race issues, has helped these women find a truer, deeper meaning in their lives.