South of My Dreams

"A memoir unlike any I've read before, captivating, even Proustian at times for the rich sensory details offered at every turn. Readers will easily fall into this melancholy, mellifluous account of a woman who sought, and found, the freedom to tell her own story on her own terms."—Tahneer Oksman, author of How Come Boys Get to Keep Their Noses?

"How does a Jewish woman from Rome, Italy make her way to the American South? The route is neither easy nor linear. . .. Yes, parts of Clementi's story are harrowing, but there are also surprising moments of dark humor that leaven her quest to find the place where she can be truly free, in a room of her own. South of My Dreams is an original, empowering story of gumption and survival."—Julie Metz, New York Times bestselling author of Perfection and Eva and Eve