Mother of Pearl (novel) Mother of Pearl (novel) "See Nacre for material produced by mollusks." Mother of Pearl (1999) is a novel by Melinda Haynes, and was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club selection, June 1999. The audio version is performed by Nana Visitor. Set in Petal, Mississippi, a small town at the close of the 1950s, this novel tells the story of the 28-year-old Even Grade, a black man who grew up an orphan, and Valuable Korner, a 15-year-old white girl, who is the daughter of the town prostitute and an unknown father. They are both separately seeking the family, love, and affection
Pearl Starr twenty-one when her mother, Belle Starr, was murdered. Belle Starr claimed that Pearl was the daughter of the outlaw Cole Younger. While no official record exists, pictures of a young Pearl Starr show an uncanny resemblance to Cole Younger. Her parentage may always be in doubt. Most historical writers accept that Starr gave birth to an illegitimate daughter named Flossie in April 1887, when she was 18. Belle Starr sent her daughter away to relatives to have her baby. In 1888 Starr's brother, Edwin, was found in possession of stolen property and was shot by his accomplice. What became of