I am forever indebted to Kelly Cannon, who talked through the arc of the story with me and read drafts of every chapter. Her insights and suggestions were invaluable; I feel fortunate to know someone so smart and observant who is also hilarious and generous with her time. Kelly, you are completely worth the drive to a certain bakery franchise at any Kansas City location.
I am also grateful to Shabnam Hashemy, Sharareh Hashemy, Neena Haider, Giselle Anatol, Janet Yates, and Mary O’Connell for sharing their experiences and perspectives with me, and for reading drafts. I am so appreciative of their time, their feedback, their encouragement, and their kindness.
I am lucky to be married to Ben Eggleston for a number of reasons; his being a thoughtful listener when I am writing a book is one of them.
The always smart Jennifer Rudolph Walsh was an early and helpful reader. After working with Margaret Riley King for almost a year on this book, I have so much respect for her integrity and her wisdom. And of course, I want to thank Tara Weikum and everyone at Harper for their belief in this book and the care they have taken with it.