Sheryl Cannady from the Library of Congress speaks with Terry McMillan, who appeared at the 2011 National Book Festival on September 24, 2011, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Biography

“Waiting to Exhale” garnered national attention and a rabid following for its author, Terry McMillan, in 1992; it became a film in 1995. The following year, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” was also a smash hit that told the tale of a woman who takes a trip to Jamaica and meets a man half her age. “Getting to Happy” (Viking) is the long-awaited sequel to “Exhale.” It reunites its predecessor’s characters – now in their 50s – who live in Phoenix and are struggling with their midlife crises.