Chill Wind

By Janet McDonald

Part of the Hillbrook Houses series

Facing welfare cuts, a young mother must find a way to survive without compromising her dreams.

3.2/5 Goodreads · 103 ratings

144 pages· 29,312 words· Est. 2.5 hour read

$13.99Save 4%

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Bookroo's summary

Aisha Ingram's carefree life is upended when her welfare benefits are cut, leaving her scrambling to support her children. With workfare not an option, she explores unconventional paths, including a modeling agency that promises hope. As the clock ticks down, Aisha must navigate unexpected challenges to secure a future for her family. Will she find a way to thrive against the odds?

From the publisher

Chill Wind is the winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe New Talent Award. A tough and funny project girl manages to make that chill wind blow away in Janet McDonald’s sequel to Spellbound. The good life, according to Aisha Ingram, is easy. It’s hanging with friends, dancing, listening to music, whatever . . . but it doesn’t include worrying about the future. Chilling out is her mantra until she receives a sixty-day termination-of-welfare-benefits notice. Without her monthly food stamps and assistance checks and with no help from the father of her two children, Aisha’s life threatens to become a little too “chilly.” The clock is ticking and she doesn’t have many options, but one thing she knows for sure: workfare is not for her. There’s no way she’s going to scrub subway cars or sweep city sidewalks. Aisha tries to come up with other ways to get money, but things don’t look good. Soon another notice comes: only thirty days left. Then she sees an ad on TV for BIGMODELS, and she figures she might as well check out the agency. After all, she is pretty enough. But just when it looks like Aisha’s problems might be solved, things grow crazy again. In Aisha, Janet McDonald has created a larger-than-life heroine who finds and succeeds at what is right for her.