Wise Coming of Age Story

From award winning author Susan Crandall comes a touching new novel, Whistling Past The Graveyard.  The summer of 1963 begins like any other for nine-year-old Starla. Born to teenage parents in Mississippi, Starla is being raised by a strict grandmother, Mamie, whose worst fear is that Starla will turn out like her mother. Starla hasn’t seen her mother since she was three, but is convinced that her mother will keep her promise to take Starla and her daddy to Nashville  and that one day her family will be whole and perfect.  When Starla is grounded on the Fourth of July, she sneaks out to see the parade. After getting caught, Starla’s fear that Mamie will make good on her threats and send her to reform school cause her to run away from home. Once out in the country, Starla is offered a ride by a black woman, Eula, who is traveling with a white baby. She happily accepts a ride, with the ultimate goal of reaching her mother in Nashville.  As the two unlikely companions make their long and sometimes dangerous journey, Starla’s eyes are opened to the harsh realities of 1963 southern segregation. Through talks with Eula, reconnecting with her parents, and encountering a series of surprising misadventures, Starla learns to let go of long-held dreams and realizes family is forged from those who will sacrifice all for you, no matter if bound by blood or by the heart.