RAGTOP AND OTHER STORIES

She ruined her mother’s life. Or so she thought. In Ragtop, a novella set in 1968 suburban Illinois, Andie Richardson is caught between Catholic guilt, secondhand cigarettes, and a pawned flute, rewriting the script for how a girl should behave. With a pink oxford shirt and a Mustang convertible, she’s figuring out how to steer her own story. The two short stories that follow explore what lingers: the weight of silence, the sting of almost, and the humor we wear like armor. Ragtop and Other Stories is a celebration of young women finding their voices — on page, in motion, and often in defiance. Originally penned by lifelong educator and writer Kieryn Keitel, the stories pulse with the voice of someone who understood what it meant to fight for your place in the world, and win, if only quietly. This is a book for anyone who ever felt like too much, not enough, or gloriously both at the same time.