[Published in SCAD District]

https://scaddistrict.com/im-booked-none-of-this-would-have-happened-if-prince-were-alive/

If you are a Prince fan from Savannah, oh boy, do I have a book for you. Granted, “None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive” by Carolyn Prusa is entertaining for other readers as well.

I found this book at the Savannah Book Festival and was so entranced by the title that I had to pick it up. I had the pleasure of meeting Prusa, which made the experience even more memorable. Prusa lives in Savannah and used this landscape as the setting for “None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive.” As a Savannah resident myself, I loved reading about the places I pass each day. Each name drop of a Savannah spot felt like a special gift meant to satisfy Savannahians. And it did!

This book takes place in the midst of a symbolic and physical hurricane. The main character, Ramona, struggles to balance her work, two children and crumbling marriage as a hurricane heads toward Savannah. She finds herself protecting those around her, including her kids, next-door neighbor, mother and class hamster, Clarence Thomas. Throughout all of the drama, Ramona is continually reminded of the legendary singer, Prince. The book takes place soon after he passed away in 2016. As her favorite artist and guiding light, Ramona finds it hard to go on without him. To Ramona, it seems everything went downhill after Prince’s death. All in all, it is a story of perseverance and an ode to mothers everywhere who are forced to go on as if the world around them is not falling apart.

The book is often funny despite its drama. At times, however, it is surprisingly earnest and truthful. One example is the quote, “I should have told him. I didn’t because I’ve been conditioned to pretend that I can slide my children into file folders with different colored tabs in order to be taken seriously as a professional woman.”

Support a Savannah author by checking out “None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive!” I’ll be back soon with another book review, but until then, I’m Booked.

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I’m Booked: “None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive”