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THE GIRL FROM RAT ROW: The Bootlegger’s Daughter

 by Hazel Hughes-Singleton

 

Haley, a bootlegger's daughter, begins her journey in the 1950s in rural Georgia. Raised by uneducated parents, she worked in the cotton fields instead of attending school. Haley’s life is a hard one. She endures abuse, alcoholism, ridicule, and most glaringly, an environment where little love is ever shown.

A fortuitous introduction to an important person changes Haley’s life. She meets a former slave, Aunt Matilda. Aunt Matilda is a woman who has no children of her own. She raises Haley to love the Lord in spite of their unfortunate circumstances.

In the 1960s, as a seventeen-year-old with two children out of wedlock, Haley attempts to escape the harsh realities of her past, only to have them follow her to New Hampshire. Drinking and partying to ease the pain has become an unfortunate way of life. Haley is finally forced to begin facing her inner demons and the call of God to change her life.

In the novel, readers witness the extraordinary journey of a girl from Rat Row. This is a harrowing tale of overcoming the worst of one's past to get to the best of one's future.