Stranger to the Truth

How does a privileged eighteen-year-old end up in prison and convicted of one of the rarest of crimes—matricide?

The literary nonfiction Stranger to the Truth explores the fatal intersection in the lives of Noura Jackson, her circle of dissolute Memphis friends, and the death of Noura's mother, Jennifer, on the eve of a popular outdoor festival. The brutal attack seemed to reflect personal and exponential rage.

Tragedy stalked Noura. Her father was fatally shot when she was seventeen—a mystery never solved. A year later, an auto accident claimed her best friend. Both mother and daughter were reeling from shock, grief, and confusion. The tension between them escalated until Noura's difficult teenage years yielded to something much darker.

More than a whodunit, this fact-based account tells a spellbinding tale of impetuous youth, and a single parent who, too late, assumes the role of disciplinarian, saying no to the demands of her daughter who will not listen. Weaving multiple points of view, back stories, and extensive research, Stranger to the Truth corrals a timely, complex story in an absorbing narrative.

Praise for Stranger to the Truth

"In Stranger to the Truth, Ms. Hickman has taken a local tragedy and, with eloquence and empathy, given it universal application. The reader will find not only a gripping story, but also a moving exploration of the shadows that dwell within us all."—Howard Bahr, author of The Black Flower, The Year of Jubilo, and The Judas Field