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Loading... Act of Graceby Karen Simpson
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Why would Grace Johnson, a bright, African-American high school senior, save the life of a Ku Klux Klansman named Jonathan Gilmore? That question hovers over Grace's hometown of Vigilant, Michigan, and few people, black or white, understand her actions-especially since rumor has it that many years ago, a member of the Gilmore family murdered several African-American residents. And if Grace had her way, she would not reveal the circumstances that led her to make what some deem to be a foolish sacrifice and an act of treason against her race. The decision to remain silent, however, is not Grace's to make, for the spirit of her ancestors have emerged and insist, in ways Grace cannot ignore, that she bear witness to the violent racial history that continues to divide the town of Vigilant. But when Grace discovers a century-old tale of a bloodsoaked, eye-for-eye vengeance that includes the mysterious death of her own father, she questions whether she has the ability and the will to accept the mind-bending spiritual challenge in front of her. As Grace reluctantly embarks on the unlikeliest of journeys and into the magical world of the African-American traditions used by her ancestors to fight slavery and oppression, she undergoes a spiritual transformation that leads to the true nature of her calling: to lead Jonathan Gilmore, the town of Vigilant and her own soul on a path toward reconciliation, redemption and true grace. No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing AuthorKaren Simpson is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing. Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
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Wikipedia in English
6
After reading the synopsis I was expecting a book about racial attitudes and how they played out in a small town. This is not what I got per se. Racism was an underlying theme in the book but the main story was about Grace's coming age into African mysticism. Of how Grace's family and another family in town had been tied together for generations because of acts perpetrated first by one side then the other in revenge. It's a story as old as time and as current as can be.
At first I was annoyed that I had another book that was giving me a story other than promised in the description but then I found myself turning the pages, wanting to know more about Grace and her history. More about Grace and what her future held. I was hooked. The act mentioned as the driving force in the book - the shooting - comes at the very end of the book. The meat of the book is Grace learning her history. Learning her power. Learning her grace. Is it an easy story? Not by any means. It is compelling? Oh, yes! Grace is a girl really, just hitting adulthood and all she has known is suddenly pulled from under her and she has to face a new future.
I ended up reading this, page after page, as fast as I could. The writing was that good. It's not the type of book I usually find interesting and yet I couldn't put it down. (