Noonday Flower

Named for her birth at noon on a sunny day in the early 1930s, Noonday Flower is destined to lead a remarkable life. As an African American girl raised in the all-white village of Walhalla, Michigan, Noonday finds the odds stacked against her from the beginning, just as they were for her mother.

When teacher Maggie Dunn recognizes Noonday’s potential, she tries to enroll her in school, but the board of education swiftly rejects her enrollment. Maggie then enlists the help of one of her students, Robert “Bookie” Brenner, to help tutor Noonday—an arrangement that leads to the blossoming of young love.

Based on real events and places, Noonday Flower is a sweeping story of love, loss, and friendship, set against the dazzling backdrop of the neighboring all-black resort village of Idlewild. Carla Ohse’s many years of extensive research on the history of Walhalla and Idlewild inform the narrative to perfection and bring her settings to life. Noonday Flower is a testament to how education can extend a lifeline, and how—once new opportunity is offered—it can be difficult to choose between love and conflicting dreams.