Elle Thornton
ASIN: B007P73QPC
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pages: 178
Twelve-year-old Gabriella lives on a North Carolina military base in the segregated South of 1957. Near the river by her quarters, she meets the marine Hawkins. He becomes her swim coach and a person she can talk with, even about the tragedy of the youth Emmett Till. At the river Hawkins helps her find her strength. Emmett's spirit helps her find her heart. Yet as she swims toward young adulthood, it could all be lost. Emmett had been murdered for whistling at a white woman. Could her friendship with Hawkins endanger the tough marine? It doesn't seem possible. Until a sudden storm on the river changes Gabriella's life--forever.Bronze Medal Military Writers Society of America; First Place YA Florida Writers Association; IAP Florida YA winner