The Love Ceiling - Softcover

After the death of her Japanese American mother, sixty-four-year-old Anne Kuroda Duppstadt finds the courage to confront the toxic legacy of her father, a famous artist and cruel narcissist. When a former art professor invites her to his island art studio, she begins pursuing her lifelong dream to become an artist in her own right. But the needs of her family tug at her heart. Her thirty-two-yearold daughter’s love life is falling apart, and Annie’s husband, facing retirement, struggles with depression, leading her to conclude, “There is a glass ceiling for women...and it’s made out of the people we love.” The Love Ceiling draws readers into the soul of a universal theme for women: the pull between family and creative self-expression. It is the story of a daughter, a wife, a mother and grandmother, and a journey into creativity.“...wonderful, touching, funny. Jean Davies Okimoto writes with literary perfect pitch.” — Christiane Northrup, MD author and host of PBS television special Mother-Daughter Wisdom “A lovely book, full of wisdom and compassion. With keen insight, the author examines the problems of achieving fulfillment as both a woman and an artist.” — Barbara G. Walker author of The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets “A fine painting of words by a true artist....so compelling that once you begin you cannot put it down.” — Chizuko Judy Sugita de Queiroz artist and author of Camp Days 1942-1945 “Any woman who has ever wrestled with a difficult father will find inspiration and solace in these lucid pages.” — Leza Lowitz former Tokyo correspondent for Art in America Praise for Uncle Hideki and the Empty Nest, Jean Davies Okimoto’s hit play from which The Love Ceiling was adapted “...gives rare insight into the daunting journey of finding oneself...taps into many universal truths about what it takes to be a woman – in the myriad roles of mother, daughter, wife.” – The Seattle Times “Award-winning author Jean Davies Okimoto has crafted a delightful story about the tension between family obligations and self-fulfillment and above all love [and] has succeeded beautifully.” – The International Examiner

Jean Davies Okimoto is an author and playwright whose books and short stories have been translated into Japanese, Italian, Chinese, German and Hebrew. She is the recipient of numerous awards including Smithsonian Notable Book, the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, the Washington Governor Award and the International Reading Association Readers Choice Award. A member of PEN, she lives on an island in Puget Sound.