Glory Be

The summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, MS, is set to be the same as ever for Glory:  hot.  She's looking forward to spending her days in the community pool and the library, but before she can even plan her July 4th birthday celebration, the pool is inexplicably closed.  The sign on the gate says the pool is closed for repairs, but Glory doesn't believe it.

Suddenly, she is seeing Hanging Moss in a new way.  There's a new girl in town visiting from Ohio who is challenging Glory's world and revealing her best friend in a new light.  Laura doesn't understand why water fountains and restrooms should be segregated, let alone swimming pools, and Glory is starting to question things she's never even considered.

Meanwhile, Frankie, her longtime best friend, seems to be more willing to listen to his hateful and mean-spirited older brother and father everyday.

She's also got her older sister, Jesslyn, to deal with.  Glory and Jesslyn used to be close, but now Jesslyn cares more about her pep squad friends and her lipstick than she does about her sister.

With everything that's happening, Glory has a lot to figure out.  Luckily she has help from her housekeeper Emma and an open-minded librarian.

Read Augusta Scattergood's debut novel about a time of change in the American South.