Publication Date: March 16, 2026
A passion for books creates a lasting bond between teenage Patty Jo and David, but small-town prejudice and social differences doom their romance. After a summer of reading and falling in love, David heads for university, foreign adventure, and a dazzling career; Patty Jo marries slick, over-confident Don Ried. Yet plans can go horribly wrong. The victim of her violent husband, Patty Jo abandons her home and children to live on the streets of Toronto. David, a high-ranking executive in Paris, is dismayed by the superficiality of corporate success. Forty years later, Patty Jo and David meet again. Both have defied society; both have fulfilled their dreams. And what if first love was the right one after all, and destiny has the last word?
Boy meets girl, they fall in love, and live happily ever after.
Or at least, that is what is supposed to happen. For two teens growing up in the 1960s, a love of books draws them together, but reality delivers separate futures.
Author Jill Arlene Culiner traces the lives of the teen lovers over four decades in Words for Patty Jo. From the beginning, there is a socioeconomic barrier between Patty Jo and David.
The author draws a clear distinction between their backgrounds, although neither receives emotional support at home. Patty Jo’s rough family life serves as the catalyst for wanting to leave, but a poor choice continues the cycle of domestic violence. Meanwhile, David sets out abroad, where he finds corporate success.
When their paths cross decades later, they circle back to their younger selves and explore whether the remnants of first love can be rekindled.
Given the time period, the lack of support for Patty Jo’s reports of abuse is a sad reality. Her path out of the situation drew criticism from the therapy group, but given the circumstances, it was the only chance available. As a character, Patty Jo evolves from a product of dysfunction into a polished woman comfortable in her own skin.
Words for Patty Jo highlights a first love fostered over a shared love of books.
Writer, photographer, and social critical artist, Jill Culiner, was born in New York raised in Toronto, and now lives in France. She has had seven romances published, two mysteries, and three non-fiction books. She has won the Tanenbaum Prize in Canadian Jewish History, the 2024 Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Memoir, and was shortlisted for the Foreword Magazine Prize and twice for the Page Turner Awards. Her photographic exhibition, La Mémoire Effacée, toured France, Canada, and Hungary.
