Today’s Inheritance Books are from not one, but two authors – Anne and Ken Hicks. Hi guys, welcome to Inheritance Books. Grab a slice of cake and make yourselves at home.

Please, tell us a bit about yourselves.

Ken:     I am an English major from Haverford College (1970) and a graduate of Columbia Law School.  I have practiced law and lived in New York City for almost forty years.  For forty-four years (almost), I have been married to Anne Rothman and together we have published nineteen books and produced three children. When not writing, I enjoy tennis, long walks, birding, photography and travel. I also enjoy making sculpture.  Speaking of travel, Anne and I have been to Turkey, Egypt, Italy, Croatia, Albania, Malta, Tunisia, and Spain during the last few years.

Anne:   I was born in New York City and moved with my family to the Westchester County suburbs when I was seven.  That adjustment hit me hard and although I went to Bryn Mawr College in suburban Pennsylvania, I honestly could not wait to get back to living in New York.  Ken has probably indulged this impulse in me for all these years because he was at least to begin with more of a country boy at heart.  But I think he’s gotten used to it.  My hobbies are yoga, reading, short walks and travel.

Which book have you inherited from the generation above?

Ken: I have had a special love for Faulkner’s Sound and the Fury. I don’t usually reread books, but I have often dipped into this one. The form is very unusual in that it proceeds from the point of view of four different characters, one of whom is mentally challenged, with only the slightest attempt to link them for the reader, although together they tell an amazing story. It is also beautifully written.

Anne: I have especially enjoyed reading The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough. It describes three generations of an Australian family, the way they love, the way the live and die. This well-written story is told with an element of humor and a definite warmth.

Which book would you like to leave to future generations? Why? 

Ken: I would leave one of Kurt Vonnegut’s books, probably Slaughterhouse Five.  This may seem an odd choice, since he is not generally acclaimed as one of our generation’s “great” writers, but I have reread parts of Vonnegut’s books and know that I will again, both for their humor and for his gentle message.  I hope that his books will amuse and guide another generation.

Anne: I would leave a poetry book by Adrienne Rich called Diving into the Wreck. I believe the themes she expresses are relevant today and will be tomorrow.

Thank you for sharing your Inheritance Books with us, Anne and Ken. All the best with your latest book.

You can catch up with Anne and Ken on their blog, Facebook or Twitter (@KenHicksnyc). Their latest release Praise Her, Praise Diana is available on Amazon now.