“I want her to be a culture carrier,” Radford explains. “I want her to understand language and culture, respect for elders, our history, [and] our sacrifices for freedom. That’s really important to me to pass down our cultures and protect them and help them survive through the generations.”
That desire inspired her first book. In the midst of growing another human, she was burning the midnight oil writing her novel Now Then, which will be published by HarperCollins in May 2026. The Spanish language release of the book will come a few months later, in August. The novel follows Liliana Soto Walker, a Harvard student who uncovers her mother’s secret past, fleeing the Cuban Revolution while on a journey to self-discovery. Loosely based on Radford’s life, Now Then interweaves historical events, the importance of family heritage, and how culture shapes our past and present.
The journalist describes the process of writing her novel as “a gift” and one of the most exciting things she’s done. She drew from elements of her family’s history to put pen to paper, and the book’s
Author: Victoria Uwumarogie
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