The Youngest Bee: A Louisiana Story of Sisterhood, Strength, and Alzheimer's (A Memoir)

Coming of age in the late 1970s/early 1980s in Louisiana, Virginia Evans describes an idyllic childhood filled with summer camps, shopping trips, LSU football games, and her parents’ annual elaborate Christmas parties. The youngest of six siblings, whose ages span over 22 years, Virginia had her parents to herself for most of her young life.

Virginia’s world is shattered when her beloved father, Red, becomes seriously ill and passes away when she is just 24 years old. Reality sets in at his funeral as the “Youngest Bee” realizes that she is no longer the baby of the family. She takes on the responsibility of caring for her grieving, aging mother, Mildred.

The Youngest Bee is more than just a story of determination triumphing over tragedy. It is a love story. The bond Virginia shares with her sisters, “The Four Bees,” and “finding laughter among the chaos” are what propelled them through their darkest days—from mental illness to cancer and dementia. The romance of Red and Mildred is woven throughout as the common thread that holds the family together.