How We Came to Be

By: Johnnie Bernhard

Narrated by: Theresa Bakken

Karen Anders, high school English teacher and adoptive mother of Tiffany, comes to terms with being a single parent and a clumsy drunk in Houston, TX, as she forges an unlikely friendship with Leona Supak, a WWII, Hungarian refugee who inspires her to change her views on motherhood, drinking, and men.

Karen’s teaching job is a challenge with low-scoring students and no administrative support. Tiffany moves to Austin to attend college but turns to drugs and a gamer boyfriend for stress relief, hiding from Karen through a text-only relationship. Feeling rejected, Karen explores romance for the middle-aged. Despite challenges, a family unit comes together inspired by strangers and disappointments.

©2018 Johnnie Bernhard (P)2021 Texas Review Press

Two Voices to Love!

Two voices to love here. The first is that of the main character, Karen, a sharp-witted, fifty-year-old English teacher, who raises her niece on her own, drinks too much , and struggles to pull herself out of her mundane, unsatisfying life. Johnnie Bernhard has created a character that you can’t help cheer for, even during her most pathetic moments, as she transforms from a “girl-woman” to a woman fully deserving the love she finds along the way. The second voice to love is that of audiobook narrator Theresa Bakken, who gives Karen an underlying softness while delivering even the most sarcastic lines. Theresa also nails the snap of disgust in teenager Tiffany’s responses and presents my favorite character, Hungarian refugee Leona, with the strength and dignity she deserves. The pace of the novel lends itself to audiobook form and is a pleasure to listen to. I highly recommend How We Came to Be.