Yankee Girl in Dixie
Long before Confederate symbols made front page news, they triggered racial strife in the deep South. Yankee Girl in Dixie, a historical novel, is based on actual events that took place in Pensacola, Florida in the 1970's.
Newlyweds, Cassie and Jack, are excited to move to Pensacola, Florida, to start their new life together. But it is 1972. There is a war in Vietnam and civil unrest at home. Both will change their lives forever.
When Jack’s helicopter crashes in Vietnam, Cassie struggles to move on. But grief isn’t her only challenge. As a new teacher in the south, she is naïve and ignorant of the pattern of racism and extreme poverty. Confronted with situations that both shock and disturb her, she remains determined to make a difference in the lives of her students.
Her allies in this effort are Reina, the African-American social worker in the school, and Grant, a high school history teacher, who has his own challenges, as the high school erupts in racial turmoil over the use of Confederate symbols.
The story is told through the eyes of both Cassie and Grant, whose budding romance is thwarted both by Cassie’s grief for her lost husband and the unfolding traumatic events in Pensacola. Cassie is initially resistant to Grant's romantic overtures, but life-threatening events and an unexpected messenger help her to embrace new love and purpose.
Great book club read. Use the code BOOKCLUB for any purchases of 5 or more books to receive $5 off your order for your book club readers. $2 from every book sale will be donated to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Review
Yankee Girl in Dixie is a historical novel extraordinaire distinguished by its societal relevance in today's United States. Theresa Schimmel's bracing tale of the 1970's South stands alongside the likes of Hurry Sundown, Pat Conroy's The Water is Wide, and even To Kill a Mockingbird as a book that handles racial injustice with skill and aplomb. Schimmel ambitiously manages to provide hope to an otherwise hopeless situation in a sprawling tapestry that defines America then as well as now."
- Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author of the Caitlin Strong novels.
Review
Yankee Girl in Dixie’s dynamic characters will tug at readers’ heartstrings, and its rich setting will transport them back in history. Yankee Girl in Dixie is a raw and emotional historical fiction novel centering on the tumultuous social-political climate of the 1970s American south. From romance lovers to history buffs, Yankee Girl in Dixie offers a multifaceted, intersectional story that readers from all walks of life will enjoy.
- Book Review Directory
Donation
A donation of $2 will be made to Southern Poverty Law Center with the sale of each Yankee Girl in Dixie.