Chalktown

From the author of The New York Times best-seller Mother of Pearl, a beautifully crafted and moving story of redemption and renewal set in 1960s Mississippi.In sparsely populated George County, Mississippi, along a quiet dirt road lined by sharecropper houses, lies Chalktown a small village of folks who communicate mostly through the chalkboards hanging from their front porches. Down the road lives the Sheehand family: 16-year-old Hezekiah, his reckless sister Arena, his mentally disabled younger brother Yellababy, and their disaffected and often cruel mother, Susan Blair, whose husband has abandoned both the house and the family.One day, with Yellababy strapped to his back, Hez sets out for Chalktown, determined to plumb its mysteries, or maybe just to get away from his shabby home's oppressive atmosphere. And, on that same spring day, the family he's left behind will confront a tragedy that at once erases Hez's bitter past and paves the way for a hopeful future ...Haynes, Melinda is the author of 'Chalktown', published 2002 under ISBN 9780732271152 and ISBN 0732271150.