First published 2007
Diana Dunn lives in a cramped house in Tupelo, Mississippi, where Elvis was born. The year is 1964, and civil rights protests shake the state. Diana has bigger problems at home. Her mother Paige contracted polio during her final month of pregnancy and now needs constant care. Peacie, their black caregiver, helps manage Paige's daily needs with sharp words and steady hands. Diana wants what other fourteen-year-olds want: money for clothes and magazines, freedom from adult supervision, and answers about boys. She also wants to escape the suffocating atmosphere of her small town. But Diana cannot escape her responsibilities or the fact that her life differs drastically from her peers. Paige remains attractive, smart, and spirited despite her physical limitations, yet her needs never stop. As summer progresses, hatred and hardship invade their modest home. Each woman must forge her own route toward freedom, acceptance, and tranquility. Paige, despite her severe disabilities, will ultimately bestow upon Diana a remarkable gift that surpasses what most parents can provide.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama, disability
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, overcoming-adversity
Setting: Mississippi, Tupelo
Period: 1964
Audio CD · Brilliance Audio