What would you do if abuse forced you to run away from home at the age of sixteen? What if you had been hidden away all of your life in a reclusive cult, and knew little to nothing about the outside world? Would you know how to live on your own? Where to go? Whom you could trust?
Inspired by author Judith Nelson's own experiences, this is the story of Grace McGonnell. Raised within an isolated cult of religious fundamentalists, Grace is pressured by her controlling mother to marry a fellow cult member over twice her age. When her protests fall on deaf ears, she and her friend Lydia run away to Los Angeles, where they are forced into a horrifying world of prostitution. Years later, Grace, now a successful attorney in Atlanta, is shocked to learn that her sixteen year old niece, still trapped within the cult, similarly is being forced to marry an older man – and that Grace's mother, once again, is involved. Grace is determined to save her niece at any cost. Even if it means confronting a past that she would do anything to forget. Even if it means revealing, for the first time, the pain of that hidden past to her husband and children.
The result is a stunning story of survival and triumph. A story of learning how we each should live and choose to treat others, regardless of the circumstances in which we were raised. And ultimately, a story of the power of love to conquer pain, isolation and fear.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Contains mature language and situations. Please see our Facebook page for further information and discussion.
Inspired by author Judith Nelson's own experiences, this is the story of Grace McGonnell. Raised within an isolated cult of religious fundamentalists, Grace is pressured by her controlling mother to marry a fellow cult member over twice her age. When her protests fall on deaf ears, she and her friend Lydia run away to Los Angeles, where they are forced into a horrifying world of prostitution. Years later, Grace, now a successful attorney in Atlanta, is shocked to learn that her sixteen year old niece, still trapped within the cult, similarly is being forced to marry an older man – and that Grace's mother, once again, is involved. Grace is determined to save her niece at any cost. Even if it means confronting a past that she would do anything to forget. Even if it means revealing, for the first time, the pain of that hidden past to her husband and children.
The result is a stunning story of survival and triumph. A story of learning how we each should live and choose to treat others, regardless of the circumstances in which we were raised. And ultimately, a story of the power of love to conquer pain, isolation and fear.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Contains mature language and situations. Please see our Facebook page for further information and discussion.
