Death of the Good Girl: A Memoir of Love, Betrayal, and Courage

"I had to kill. It was the only solution for my survival. Living under siege, enemies infiltrated my heart and my home. Conspiracy surrounded me and closed in with the help of my man. I killed the "Good Girl." If I hadn't, I would have surely died."

From the Prelude

In Death of the Good Girl, Dr. Teresa Taylor Williams leads a seemingly perfect life as a renowned psychologist, entrepreneur, and devoted mother. But when tragedy strikes with the sudden loss of her husband and a breast cancer diagnosis, her world shatters. Discovering her husband's double life after his passing adds to her anguish, forcing her to fight not just for her life but also for her legacy.

Set against the backdrop of a vibrant, mid-20th-century African American community in New York City, untouched by Jim Crow but plagued by societal tensions, Dr. Williams recounts her journey from the innocent beginnings where she was raised to be a good girl by three generations of Black women-all living in the same house-to her transformative demise and subsequent resurrection. As she battles cancer, betrayal, and financial ruin in myriad unexpected ways, she finds the strength to rebuild and redefine herself.

Dr. Williams shares her remarkable story of resilience, self-discovery, and redemption with raw honesty and gripping detail. Death of the Good Girl is a long-awaited testament to the power of courage and the indomitable spirit of a woman determined to rise from the ashes of her past.

Reminiscent of James McBride's The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, Williams fearlessly plunges into the intricate tapestry of race, identity, family, love, and betrayal, unraveling the threads of her own multiracial heritage amid the tumultuous backdrop of a society sharply divided by race.