Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson

Rating: 5 of 5 stars 

Pages: 464 pages
Published: February 2026

Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson came recommended to me by one of my reading buddies who also enjoys historical fiction, and I’m so glad I picked it up. This novel unfolds across two timelines: one set in Europe during World War II and the other during the Civil Rights era in Maryland. Each chapter is told from the third-person perspective of three distinct characters: 

• Ethel Gathers, a U.S. soldier’s wife, living abroad, who feels compelled to help orphaned children find suitable homes
• Ozzie Philips, a young man who enlists in the newly desegregated U.S. Army in the late 1940s
• Sophia Clark, a bright student offered a coveted spot at a prestigious boarding school that’s just been desegregated. 

Johnson moves between these three characters, dedicating a chapter to each while slowly building their respective backstories. She aptly moves between the timelines, and her vivid storytelling brings emotional clarity to the events shaping each character’s life. As a reader, I felt truly guided by her prose; never quite sure where the plot would twist and turn, but confident Johnson tie everything together in the end (which I’d been told she is well known for, and now I understand why!) 

One of the most compelling aspects of the novel is its exploration of bi-racial children born during World War II. Many of these children were fathered by soldiers and left behind, unacknowledged by their fathers and unwelcome in their mothers’ home countries. This history was both fascinating and heartbreaking, and Johnson handles it with care. It’s part of the war’s legacy that’s rarely discussed, and the novel shines an important light on it.

Johnson is a gifted, well-researched storyteller, something evident by her extensive author’s notes. Her characters are complex, flawed, and deeply human; each one leaving a lasting impression. Even when their choices were difficult to witness, they felt authentic and emotionally grounded. 

Recommendation: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and appreciated that it provided a fresh perspective on the far-reaching impact of World War II. Books like this are difficult yet necessary as they help paint a fuller picture of history we may not have known. I look forward to reading more of Johnson’s work in the future. 

Until next time ... Read on!

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