By the Sweet Gum

By Ane Mulligan

Description:

She’s bound by duty. He’s tethered to a dream.

In the beleaguered mill town of Sweetgum, Georgia, Genessee Taylor dreams of a life beyond running the mill-owned hotel with her family. Though the work is honest, the owner of the mill is not. Genessee and her father long to see stronger labor laws passed to protect the innocent children who are injured and dying in the mill. When the owner learns of their activity, he will stop at nothing to silence them.

Tommy Mack works at the mill and dreams of playing professional ball and marrying Genessee. When he’s contracted by a big-league team, his dreams are within grasp. Just as Tommy and Genessee’s wedding is on the horizon, tragedy strikes Sweetgum. Tommy can’t stay and Genessee can’t leave. Can they battle through loss, deception, and sacrifice to find their way back to each other?

Book Takeaway:

Even when you can't trace God's hand, trust His heart.

Why the author wrote this book:

I happened across an article on mill villages in Georgia. When I visited one, voices of children who had worked there, cried out to me to tell their story.