About this item
A powerful and emotional coming-of-age novel set amid the turmoil and profound changes of the 1960s by the bestselling author of West with Giraffes. In segregated High Cotton, Texas, in 1964, the racial divide is as clear as the railroad tracks running through town. It's also where two girls are going to shake things up.This is the last summer of thirteen-year-old Corky Corcoran's childhood, and her family hires a Haitian housekeeper who brings her daughter, America, along with her. Corky is quick to befriend America and eager to share her favorite new "grown-up" novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. America's take on it is different and profoundly personal. As their friendship grows, Corky finds out so much more about America's life and her hidden skill: she can run as fast as Olympian Wilma Rudolph!When Corky asks America to play with her girls' softball team for the annual church rivals game, it's a move that crosses the color line and sets off a firestorm.
About the Author
Lynda Rutledge, a lifelong animal lover, has had the joy of petting baby rhinos, snorkeling with endangered turtles, and strolling with a tower of giraffes in her eclectic freelance career, writing nonfiction for well-known publications and organizations while winning awards and residencies for her fiction. Her new novel, "West with Giraffes," was inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. Her debut novel, "Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale," winner of the 2013 Writers League of Texas Book Award, was adapted into the major 2019 French film La Dernière Folie de Claire Darling, starring Catherine Deneuve. She, her husband, and resident dog live outside Austin, Texas.For more, visit her website: www.lyndarutledge.com
