"This powerful novel should join classics like Ernest J. Gaines's The
Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Helena Maria Viramontes's Under
the Feet of Jesus, and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird."--New
York Times Book Review
A gripping, gut-punch of a novel about a Cherokee child removed from
her family and sent to a Christian boarding school in the 1950s--an
ambitious, eye-opening reckoning of history and small-town prejudices
from Pulitzer Prize finalist Margaret Verble.
Kit Crockett lives on a farm with her grief-stricken, widowed father,
tending the garden, fishing in a local stream, and reading Nancy Drew
mysteries from the library bookmobile. One day, Kit discovers a
mysterious and beautiful woman has moved in just down the road.
Kit and the newcomer, Bella, become friends, and the lonely Kit draws
comfort from her. But when a malicious neighbor finds out, Kit suddenly
finds herself at the center of a tragic, fatal crime and becomes a ward
of the court. Her Cherokee family wants to raise her, but the righteous
Christians in town instead send her to a religious boarding school.
Kit's heritage is attacked, and she's subjected to religious
indoctrination and other forms of abuse. But Kit secretly keeps a
journal recounting what she remembers--and revealing just what she has
forgotten. Over the course of Stealing, she unravels the truth of how
she ended up at the school and plots a way out. If only she can make her
plan work in time.
In swift, sharp, and stunning prose, Margaret Verble spins a powerful
coming-of-age tale and reaffirms her place as an indelible storyteller
and chronicler of history.
