Big House (Keck)

"I don't know how Mama knew Daddy was going to hurt us," Minnie says. She yanked us out of the bed and over to the wall. The door flew open. There was a huge explosion! Daddy had fired his shotgun into our bed." Minnie leaves boarding school to spend the summer at The Big House, her cherished Grandpa's home. She enjoys adventure, but she also learns of the dangers posed by the land and a river that can seduce the unwary. The arrival of Minnie's great-grandmother provides her with a fearless female role model, as well as tales of the elderly woman's antebellum past and how she survived the Civil War. She also learns of her Grandpa's struggle to build a post-Civil War cotton and lumber empire in a wilderness of swamps, disease, and treacherous men willing to steal and murder. Minnie's valuable lessons: one must face one's fears head-on, and one must never willingly become a victim. At the close of Summer young Minnie experiences devasting upheaval, but her innate courage allows her to face her fears . . . and to eventually triumph over them. A Gold Medal winner of the 2015 Global eBook Awards, this story is poignant, heartbreaking in turns, and empowering, transporting the reader into the heart and soul of a bygone era. A timeless story, it reflects the very best of the American character when confronting adversity.

In 1928, Minnie's mother, Nora, arrives at her nursing college after abandoning Minnie as a child. What does Nora want? An unexpected visit to Grandpa and Marie at The Big House offers Minnie shelter and refuge, but not the carefree days of her youthful experiences. There, she discovers secrets. Shrewd and hidden manipulations of power insure the survival of The Big House in this small Southern town, where a smile can mask suppressed rage and hostility. A power struggle ensues between Minnie and Nora when honor, wealth and influence are risked by young love. Both will have their say, but only one will prevail. Guns and violence become signs of a new era. The 1929 Great Depression explodes, engulfing everyone. Minnie and the family must confront the Depression, as well as threats to the land from those who would rob them. Driven by her own convictions and courage, Minnie refuses to give in to chaos and fear. While poverty and cruelty surround her, Minnie's spirit, character and hard-won experience prepare her to survive and keep her values. Will the past and her circumstances overwhelm Minnie, or will she embrace the future and triumph?