Postcards from Cookie: A Memoir of Motherhood, Miracles, and a Whole Lot of Mail

Award-winning journalist and host of Black Enterprise Business Report Caroline Clarke’s moving memoir of her surprise discovery of her birthmother—Cookie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole—and the relationship that blossomed between them through the heartfelt messages they exchanged on hundreds of postcards.

Caroline Clarke was born in an era when adoptions were shameful and sealed. She kept her curiosity about her biological parents in check, until a series of small health problems raised concerns about her genetic heritage and its consequences for her two children’s lives and her own.

Though the agency that handled her adoption could not reveal the name of her birth mother, it provided details that lead to a shocking truth. Caroline’s birth mother and her family were related to a friend: Carole “Cookie” Cole, the daughter of iconic crooner and pianist Nat King Cole.

Drawing on details provided by the agency and her own investigative skills, Caroline embarked on a life-changing journey of discovery that stretched from coast to coast, forged through e-mail, phone calls, and post cards. The constancy, volume, and intimacy of her steady correspondence with Cookie filled the days and distance between them. Through brief yet poignant messages squeezed onto three-inch open-faced squares, mother and daughter revealed themselves, ultimately building a bond like no other.

A heartfelt, inspiring tribute to both Caroline’s adoptive parents and her biological mother, Postcards from Cookie illuminates the enduring power of love to shape and guide our lives.