A Deep Place of Grace

Neeley Mahoney just wants to be normal, but she isn't--not anymore. She's hiding secrets, suffering in silence, and pretending everything is OK. In 1960, amid civil rights sit-ins, protests, and marches, thirteen-year-old Neeley is living the ordinary life of a Nebraska teenager, congregating with friends, going to movies, and attending city-wide dances. Then otherworldly forces in the universe conspire to dramatically change her life. While vacationing at the family cabin in Minnesota, Neeley narrowly cheats death in an incident that leaves her with debilitating fear, hypersensitivity to others, and a meddlesome guardian angel. Following that, she is unwittingly swept into the civil rights struggle of a colored family that has moved into her white-bread neighborhood. For the first time, Neeley's delicately- balanced life is spiraling out of control as she experiences prejudice firsthand, and fights to protect her secrets and her sanity. Will the courage of others, who daily battle bigotry, inspire Neeley to draw from a deep place of grace to face her fears, and to accept her truth?