When Dignity Came to Harlan by Rebecca Duvall Scott

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

From bestselling and Amazon Top 10 Hot New Release author, Rebecca Duvall Scott, comes the first Christian historical fiction novel in the Dignity Series, When Dignity Came to Harlan.

I made up my mind right then and there that I would just have to wade into this move like wading into a pond or lake I'd never seen before - slow and steady, feeling around for my footing and trying to avoid the sharp edges at the bottom that you never see coming.

***

News of what really happened to me - to us - spread through town like wildfire. It caught from one dry gossip tree to another and burned them to the ground with shame.

***

"Y'can do this, child - show 'em why I call y'Dignity," my old friend winked at me.

Skillfully written and sure to draw you in to its pages, When Dignity Came to Harlan is set in the early 1900s and follows twelve-year-old Anna Beth Atwood as she leaves Missouri with her family dreaming of a better life in the coal-rich mountains of Harlan County, Kentucky. Anna Beth's parents lose everything on the trip, however, and upon asking strangers to take their girls in until they get on their feet, Anna Beth and her baby sister are dropped into the home of Jack and Grace Grainger - who have plenty of problems of their own. Anna Beth suffers several hardships during her time in Harlan, and if it wasn't for her humble and wise old friend who peddles his wisdom along with his wares, all would be lost.

Based on a true family history, this is a story of heartbreak and hope, challenges and perseverance, good and evil, justice and merciful redemption. It exemplifies the human experience in all its many facets and shows what it means to have real grit.

Take the journey with us and see how, with the unseen hand of God, one girl changed the heart and soul of an entire town.

MY REVIEW

“I guess in m’case, though, it was easier t’find God outside in his great creation. M’case is jus’ diff’rent , I reckon. Maybe God wanted me t’be a wanderer… people can worship ‘im anywhere if they’ll jus’ humble their hearts, Dignity.” He slowed the truck to a stop in front of the white picket fence.

You know sometimes I feel this way too. I mean, God's everywhere no matter where you are. Not just inside church wall although it's nice to fellowship with other believers.

I find this story so fascinating because it's pretty cool to have a family history. I love stories of pioneering to new places.

Scott has done just this. I was immersed in this story from the beginning.

I also loved that she tells the story from Anna Beth's point of view. I connected with her that way. Her thoughts, feelings came out across the pages to me loud and clear and Anna Beth being happy were all that mattered to me

Little Olivia stole my heart though. Cuteness overload.

I'm very happy to say that I used to live almost two hours away from Harlan one way and two hours from Edmondson Co. How cool is that?

I enjoy reading stories that use Kentucky or Ohio as a backdrop.

I really enjoyed this story and was sad to see it come to an end.

I'm still thinking about these characters long after the story is over.

The author has done a fabulous job in bringing back the people of the past.

My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca Duvall Scott is an accomplished author and the recipient of numerous awards. Her first published work and best-selling memoir, Sensational Kids, Sensational Families: Hope for Sensory Processing Differences, chronicles the research, interventions, and mindset shifts that successfully brought her family through her son’s SPD diagnosis. While she values her special needs initiative, her heart also belongs with Christian historical fiction. Her long-awaited novel, When Dignity Came to Harlan, is based on her great-grandmother’s childhood. Rebecca lives with her husband and their two children in Kentucky and plans to write more in both the Dignity and Sensational Kids series.