It's Not All Downhill From Here By Terry McMillan (Grades 7-9)

Terry McMillan was born and raised in Michigan, and discovered her love of literature while shelving books at the local library. Now she is back with It's Not All Downhill From Here, the story of Loretha Curry’s life. On the eve of her sixty-eighth birthday, she has a booming beauty-supply empire, a gaggle of lifelong friends, and a loving husband. Loretha does not think her best days are behind her, and is determined to prove everyone with that view wrong. But when an unexpected loss turns her world upside down, Loretha will have to summon all her strength and determination to keep on thriving, heal old wounds, and chart new paths.