A 2019 Edgar Award Finalist for Best Juvenile work and one of YALSA's
2019 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
A powerful fictionalized account of Zora Neale Hurston's childhood
adventures explores the idea of collective memory and the lingering
effects of slavery.
"History ain't in a book, especially when it comes to folks like us.
History is in the lives we lived and the stories we tell each other
about those lives."
When Zora Neale Hurston and her best friend, Carrie Brown, discover that
the town mute can speak after all, they think they've uncovered a big
secret. But Mr. Polk's silence is just one piece of a larger puzzle that
stretches back half a century to the tragic story of an enslaved girl
named Lucia. As Zora's curiosity leads a reluctant Carrie deeper into
the mystery, the story unfolds through alternating narratives. Lucia's
struggle for freedom resonates through the years, threatening the future
of America's first incorporated black township -- the hometown of author
Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960). In a riveting coming-of-age tale,
award-winning author T. R. Simon champions the strength of a people to
stand up for justice.