The Love You Save

At age eleven, Goldie Taylor is out riding her bike when she is raped by a young man from the neighborhood. Unable to cope, her mother sends her to live with her aunt in East St. Louis.

Aunt Gerald takes in anyone who asks, but the conditions are harsh. Goldie sleeps on the living room floor, amid cousins who abuse her. But in her trauma and pain, Goldie discovers a secret. She can find kinship among writers like James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. She can find hope in a nurturing teacher who helps her find her voice. And books, she realizes, can save her life.

Goldie Taylor's debut memoir shines a light on the strictures of race, class and gender in a post–Jim Crow America while offering a nuanced, empathetic portrait of a family in a pitched battle for its very soul.

Profoundly moving, exquisitely rendered and ultimately uplifting, The Love You Save is a story about hidden strength, perseverance against unimaginable odds, the beauty and pain of girlhood, and the power of the written word.

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Hanover Square Press.

Book club questions for The Love You Save by Goldie Taylor

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

Describe the role that Sandra Farrell and Peggy Lewis-LeCompte played in Goldie’s life. How do the people in our lives who aren’t family affect our upbringing?

The relationship between Goldie and her Auntie Gerald was complicated. Do you feel that she always loved Goldie?

Faith plays a large role in the memoir. Discuss areas where faith either supports or hinders Goldie. How has faith impacted your life in the past?

Goldie’s life was inextricably complicated and laden with obstacles. Do you feel that withstanding hardship is necessary for growth?

Goldie was inspired by quintessential Black writers such as James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. Who are some influential creative artists that have supported you through their work?

Did you learn anything about yourself as you read this book? What were some of your final resounding thoughts?

The Love You Save Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the The Love You Save discussion questions

“Harrowing, transcendent and written with singular grace, The Love You Save is the best kind of memoir. Goldie Taylor reveals how in the face of adversity, we can find hope in books, in faith, in family, and most importantly, in our own inner resolve. A powerful book that will stick with you forever."—Tamron Hall, Emmy Award-winning journalist and author of As the Wicked Watch

"Bursting with hope, wonder and wisdom, The Love You Save is a deeply inspiring, must-read memoir about the transformative power of books to heal and unite us."—Gabrielle Union, New York Times bestselling author of You Got Anything Stronger?

"Goldie Taylor's The Love You Save is at once candid and devastating. Writing with clarity and elegance, Taylor has crafted a memoir about finding peace, hope, and love after surviving unspeakable violence. This book will stay with me a long long time."—Jaquira Díaz, author of Ordinary Girls: A Memoir

"In The Love You Save Goldie Taylor weaves a vibrant retelling of her youth and by proxy a side of America that is rarely seen on the page. Instead of pathologizing hardship, Taylor celebrates survival and gives the readers a front row seat to a fascinating and poignant life. Deeply honest, it is an important cultural document wrapped in a memoir. Words are powerful, the pen can be our best weapon and here Taylor shows us that she survived and thrived because of them."—Mikki Kendall, New York Times bestselling author of Hood Feminism

"Goldie Taylor writes of her childhood in East St. Louis—often cruel, often dire, punctuated by intense and complex familial love—with a clear-eyed lack of sentimentality, much less self-pity, and, somehow, unwavering compassion that put me in mind of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, especially as young Goldie finds strength and salvation in the transporting, redemptive power of books and the support of perceptive teachers. The writing in The Love You Save is always as beautiful as its story so often is not, and I read it through with a kind of fearful hopefulness."—Benjamin Dreyer, New York Times bestselling author of Dreyer's English

"The Love You Save is a powerful coming-of-age story about a little Black girl's determination to love and survive. It made me smile and grimace with deep recognition. This is a memoir about the pain and joy of being 'the first,' with all of the sacrifices that come with opportunity. Taylor renders a lovely memoir about a slice of Black life with compassion and truth-telling."—Tressie McMillan Cottom, National Book Award-nominated author of Thick: And Other Essays

"Indelible... This powerful examination of survival and self-forgiveness is an emotional reckoning."—Publishers Weekly

“An affecting memoir of overcoming adversity when every deck is stacked against you.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Taylor's narrative flows beautifully (even the parts that are hard to read) and integrates seamlessly with her reflections on love, care, and forgiveness. A beyond-compelling testimonial.”—Booklist STARRED review