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The year is 1943 and life is good for Jewel Hilburn, her husband, Leston, and their five children. Although there's a war on, the Mississippi economy is booming, providing plenty of business for the hardworking family. And even the news that eldest son James has enlisted is mitigated by the fact that Jewel, now pushing 40, is pregnant with one last child. Her joy is slightly clouded, however, when her childhood friend Cathedral arrives at the door with a troubling prophecy: "I say unto you that the baby you be carrying be yo' hardship, be yo' test in this world. This be my prophesying unto you, Miss Jewel."

When the child is finally born, it seems that Cathedral's prediction was empty: the baby appears normal in every way. As the months go by, however, Jewel becomes increasingly afraid that something is wrong with little Brenda Kay--she doesn't cry, she doesn't roll over, she's hardly ever awake. Eventually husband and wife take the baby to the doctor and are informed that she is a "Mongolian Idiot," not expected to live past the age of 2. Jewel angrily rebuffs the doctor's suggestion that they institutionalize Brenda Kay. Instead the Hilburns shoulder the burdens--and discover the unexpected joys--of living with a Down's syndrome child.

Bret Lott has written a novel that spans decades, follows the lives of several characters, and cuts back and forth between Mississippi and California. Given these challenges, a lesser writer might lose focus. Lott, however, has wisely chosen to keep his eye trained on Jewel--a narrator who is smart, perceptive, and above all, honest. He has also bucked the trend toward political correctness by allowing his characters to think, feel, and talk the way white Mississippians of that era would have. ("Mongolian Idiot," "nigger," "cracker," and "buck" are just a few of the epithets sprinkled throughout the text.) The language may be discomforting to some readers. Few will deny, however, that Bret Lott has crafted a clan that is all heart in this bittersweet paean to the enduring strength of familial love. --Margaret Prior

From Library Journal
Listeners will love this audio abridgment of a book chosen for Oprah's Book Club. It's about a struggling Mississippi mother whose iron will conquers all obstacles to getting quality care for her fifth child, Brenda Kay, who is born with Down's syndrome. When a local doctor gives the child two years to live, a black maid uses religion as a weapon of empowerment, prophesying that Brenda Kay will be both her mother Jewel's greatest burden and God's way of smiling on her and her family. Jewel is not daunted; resisting the odds, she uproots her family and reestablishes them in Southern California, near a special school where her daughter will get the best education. This loving portrait of a woman of determination is inspired writing. In the end, God has smiled on Jewel and her family by giving them a special child to care for, challenging and enhancing all their lives. The narration by Celia Weston is perfect. Highly recommended.AMark Pumphrey, Polk Cty. P.L., Columbus, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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First Sentence:
I WAS BORN IN 1904, SO THAT WHEN I WAS PREGNANT IN 1943 I WAS near enough to be past the rightful age to bear children. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
quick turned, retarded daughter, ice cream plant Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Brenda Kay, Billie Jean, Missy Cook, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Miss Jewel, Manhattan Beach, Bundy Mufflers, Gower Cross, Reader's Digest, Pearl River, Pico Furniture, Royal Crown, Head of Maintenance, Nathan White, Exceptional Children's Foundation, Jacob Chandler, Jacob Chetauga, Ashe Lake, Bessy Swansea, Big Spring, Mar Vista, Cleopatra Sinclair, East Columbia, Gulf of Mexico New!
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