3. Dead of Autumn by Sherry Knowlton

listened on Audible (purchased)

286 pgs.

2014 (first audio recorded 2020)
Adult mystery
Finished 1/14/2025
Goodreads rating: 3.97
My rating: 3.5
Setting: Contemporary Carlisle/Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

My comments: Pretty cool that this book takes place in Carlisle, PA - where I live!  There's much mention of streets, locales, and public lands that I know of quite well, with a few that I don't....so that was really fun.  The story was okay, though incredibly predictable, the protagonist is feisty but somewhat dull-witted at times, and there were a few ways that the reader read that didn't appeal to me 100%.  But I enjoyed it for the locale.  There are others to follow, so I'm hoping some of my problems with the story will smooth out as the stories continue.

Goodreads synopsis:  The Alexa Williams novel that started it all.

An ethereal blonde sprawled by a mountain stream.

Three young girls on a blanket in the woods.

Decades separate the discovery of these dead bodies, but the lesson they offer is the same. Evil can lurk much closer than you'd ever imagine.

Alexa Williams is a successful lawyer, volunteers weekly at a women’s clinic, and has a sexy weekend boyfriend—not to mention an endearing best friend in her giant English mastiff, Scout. But one autumn day, when Scout takes off into the Pennsylvania woods, Alexa discovers a nightmare she’d never imagined. From that fateful day, Alexa becomes entangled in a murder mystery—one that she tries to unravel by linking it to experiences and symbols in her own life.

Dewilla Noakes, a child of the Depression, has recently lost her mother. Her father, packs up the girls—and their attractive cousin, Winnie—and hits the road to look for a job on the east coast. Along the way, money becomes tighter, food becomes scarcer, and relationships become strained. Dewilla’s father fears he’s failing his daughters. Running out of options, he begins to consider the unthinkable to end the misery he’s brought upon his family …

Alexa soon finds herself amidst violence aimed at the clinic where she volunteers, brought on by pro-life extremists. In a bizarre turn of events, she’s almost raped, ambushed by religious zealots who wish to convert her, then taken by surprise as another romance enters her life. Plus, she seems to be seeing quite a lot of the local law enforcement these days.

No matter what else happens in her life, Alexa can’t shake feeling some sort of connection to the mysterious murder victim. She thinks back to the stories she heard as a child, about the Babes in the Woods, who were murdered close to where the victim’s body was found, wondering if that might be why she draws the connection. But when the murderer strikes again, Alexa must rely on her knowledge of local history and terrain in order to save her own life.

DEAD of AUTUMN ties together the struggles faced by females, young and old, past and present, and the degrees of power they embrace to combat their situations.

49. The Ascent by Allison Buccola

listened on Audible (purchased)

352 pgs.

2025
Adult mystery
Finished 11/3/25
Goodreads rating:  3.90
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary Philadelphia, with flasbacks both 10 and 20 years ago

My comments: This was a good mystery, and at one point I was definitely wondering if Lee was an untrustworthy narrator because some of her reasoning didn't seem...well...reasonable.  This story definitely proves that some people are not at all what they seem.  I was left a bit upset that there was no resolution about why she was abandoned and how, that was the biggest mystery for me.  Stories that include insider's looks at a cult always interest me.

Goodreads synopsis:  What would you do if the past showed up on your doorstep? A woman who grew up in a cult must decide if she can trust the stranger claiming to have answers to the dark mysteries of her childhood.

Twenty years ago, the members of a reclusive commune outside Philadelphia vanished without a trace. The mystery of their disappearance has never been solved. No sightings of the members were ever verified, and no bodies ever found. But the group did leave one thing a twelve-year-old girl wandering alone on the side of the road in search of her lost family.

In the years since that morning, Lee Burton has tried to put the pain of her past behind her. She has built a new identity for herself, with a doting husband and seven-month-old daughter, Lucy. No one in her life now knows about her connection to “the cult that went missing,” not even her husband. But new motherhood is proving a bigger challenge than she anticipated. She doesn't want to let Lucy out of her sight even for a moment. She can't return to work. She's not sleeping, and she's starting to have paranoid thoughts of Lucy being harmed.  

Then a stranger shows up on her doorstep, offering to finally answer all of Lee’s questions about her past—if she could only trust that the woman is who she says she is. As she digs deeper into the woman's history, the safe, stable life that Lee has constructed for herself threatens to shatter. In The Ascent, Allison Buccola has crafted a nerve-rattling thriller about motherhood, identity, and the truths we think we know about our families.

56. Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen

listened on Libby
432pgs.

2018
Adult CRF with a touch of magical realism
Finished 6/18/24
Goodreads rating: 4.19
My rating: 5
Setting: Contemporary northeastern PA, in the "Endless Woods"

My comments: Beautiful writing, clever story, wonderful characters, and a rich setting in the woods. This is definitely a favorite!

Goodreads synopsis:  The first thing you learn when you climb a tree is to hold on. Now it’s time for Harry to learn to let go…

Thirty-four-year-old Harry Crane, lifelong lover of trees, works as an analyst in a treeless US Forest Service office. When his wife dies in a freak accident, devastated, he makes his way to the remote woods of northeastern Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains, intent on losing himself. But fate intervenes in the form of a fiercely determined young girl named Oriana. She, too, has lost someone—her father. And in the magical, willful world of her reckoning, Oriana believes that Harry is the key to finding her way back to him.

As Harry agrees to help the young girl, the unlikeliest of elements—a tree house, a Wolf, a small-town librarian and a book called The Grum’s Ledger—come together to create the biggest sensation ever to descend upon the Endless Mountains…a golden adventure that will fulfill Oriana’s wildest dreams and open the door to a new life for Harry.

I couldn't remember the title of one of my favorite books and realized I'd probably not entered it onto the blog.  So I queried GEMINI and this is what I got....YAY! It's the right book!

The book you are thinking of is "Harry's Trees" by Jon Cohen, published in 2018.

It fits your description perfectly and is a wonderful "slump-buster" because it blends the grit of a life-changing tragedy with a sense of wonder.

Why this is your book:

• The Lead: Harry Crane is a 34-year-old analyst for the US Forest Service (the "forestry job") who suffers a devastating personal loss.

• The Setting: He flees to the Endless Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania to live in the woods.

• The Treehouse: He ends up living in a luxurious, multi-story treehouse on the property of a woman named Amanda.

• The Daughter & Fairy Tales: Amanda’s young daughter, Oriana, is obsessed with a book of fairy tales called The Grum’s Ledger. She believes Harry is a magical being sent to help them.

• The Money: After receiving a large legal settlement, Harry begins anonymously giving away money to locals in the nearby town who are in need, often in creative or "magical" ways.

---

Why you’ll love it (based on your tastes):

Even though it has a "magical" undertone, it is firmly a contemporary novel with many of the procedural elements you enjoy. It deals with:

• Grit and Redemption: Similar to Robert Dugoni’s emotional depth.

• Small-Town Secrets: It has that "everyone knows your business" Pennsylvania atmosphere.

• The Forest: Much like Paul Doiron’s work, the Pennsylvania wilderness is a living, breathing character in the story.

It’s a deeply uplifting read, which might be exactly what you need to get your reading momentum back!

Pennsylvania Jaunts

Road Trips

Pa Dutch Country Shop Hop - 6 shops

State College - 1st trip 

Counties & State Parks: 

Centre (Greenwood Furnace State Park)

Montour (Montour Preserve, but no state parks)

Northumberland (Shikellamy State Park)

Snyder (no state park)

Union (Sand Bridge State Park)

      (Shikellamy State Park)   

      (R. B. Winter State Park)

Cumberland (Colonel Denning State Park)

York (Samuel S.Lewis State Park)

Places

American Philatelic Center, Bellefonte

Quilt Shopss and Other Great Places to Stop

Cedar Lane Dry Goods, E. Holland

Family Fun Fabrics, East Earl/Blue Ball

Marty's Quilt Shop, Lewistown

Mary Lee's Quilt Shop, Belleville

Log Cabin Quilt Shop, Bird in Hand

Old Country Store, Intercourse

Smucker's Gourd Farm, Kinzers

Stitch & Craft, Manheim

Stitch Your Art Out, Pine Grove

Weaver's Dry Goods, Lititz

32. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

listened to eAudio/Audible Prime (which was free, the audible was $1.99)
narrated by Amy McFadden
Unabridged audio (10:17)
2019 Lake Union Publishing
328 pgs.
Adult Romance
Finished 2/18/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.89 - 44,323 ratings
My rating:  3
Setting:Contemporary rural PA & NYC

First line/s:  "There are a lot of people you don't expect to run into in small town Pennsylvania."

My comments:  Equal amounts of likes and dislikes for this novel.  I loved all the talk about books.  Amy is a middle school librarian who also teaches at her private school, so there's lots of book talking.  There are journal entries from the 15-year-old daughter at the beginning of each chapter which are quite clever and enjoyable.  There's some witty banter between Amy and some of her blind dates.  And there's the wonderful setting of New York City.  But there are alos the for-some-reason-always included best friends that play a huge part in her life, who even in the middle of a life-changing situation she's....texting!?  Come on!  And then there's the ex/almost-ex husband, John.  I'm not exactly sure whey he decided to leave in the first place, its's never particularly clear.  He returns after three years of an apparently lucrative law practice in Hong Kong and he hasn't even paid a penny of child support, making Amy struggle all by herself for the entire time?  We're supposed to believe that all of a sudden he's had this huge change of thinking?  A little too hard to believe.  And although it was slow in places, some of the fun parts made up for those.  She even mentions LITSY!  No steam, which is just fine.  Not a waste of time, but it could've been time better spent...and it was cheap....

Goodreads synopsis:  Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City.     
          Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, and—with a little encouragement from her friends—a few blind dates. When one man in particular makes quick work of Amy’s heart, she risks losing herself completely in the unexpected escape, and as the summer comes to an end, Amy realizes too late that she must make an impossible decision: stay in this exciting new chapter of her life, or return to the life she left behind.
          But before she can choose, a crisis forces the two worlds together, and Amy must stare down a future where she could lose both sides of herself, and every dream she’s ever nurtured, in the beat of a heart.

9. Angels Burning by Tawni O'Dell

Listened to Audio Book on Chirp
narrated  by Susan Bennett
Unabridged audio (10:25)
2016 Gallery Books
288 pgs.
Adult Murder Mystery/Police Procedural
Finished 1/14/2020
Goodreads rating:  3.94 - 1536 ratings
My rating: 5
Setting: contemporary rural west-central PA

First line/s:  "The last time I was this close to Rudy Mayfield he was leaning across the seat of his dad's truck trying to grope my recently ripened breasts."

My comments: This is the story of two families in a west-central Pennsylvania town.  One we get to know because she's the chief of police. 50 year old Dove Carnahan  is investigating the murder of a 17-year-old girl, Cameo Truly.  These are the two families, and although they intertwine, the two stories run parallel to each other and are both very fascinating and full of mystery.  I love that the protagonist is 50 years old, still appealing, very very smart, and witty to boot.  I totally enjoyed the story, which was well read in a voice that might've been just a little too young for the protagonist...but totally worked for me.

Goodreads synopsis:  “Compelling, fast-paced.” —Library Journal, starred review
          “Stellar.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
          “A page-turner.” —Kirkus Reviews
          From the New York Times bestselling author of the Oprah Book Club pick Back Roads comes this fast-paced literary thriller about a small town police chief who’s forced to dig into her own shadowy past as she investigates the murder of a teenage girl.
          On the surface, Chief Dove Carnahan is a true trailblazer who would do anything to protect the rural Pennsylvanian countryside where she has lived all fifty of her years. Traditional and proud of her blue-collar sensibilities, Dove is loved by her community. But beneath her badge lies a dark and self-destructive streak, fed by a secret she has kept since she was sixteen.
          When a girl is beaten to death, her body tossed down a fiery sinkhole in an abandoned coal town, Dove is faced with solving the worst crime of her law enforcement career. She identifies the girl as a daughter of the Truly family, a notoriously irascible dynasty of rednecks and petty criminals.
          During her investigation, the man convicted of killing Dove’s mother years earlier is released from prison. Still proclaiming his innocence, he approaches Dove with a startling accusation and a chilling threat that forces her to face the parallels between her own family’s trauma and that of the Trulys.
          With countless accolades to her credit, author Tawni O’Dell writes with the “fearless insights” (The New York Times Book Review) she brought to the page in Back Roads and One of Us. In this new, masterfully told psychological thriller, the past and present collide to reveal the extent some will go to escape their fate, and in turn, the crimes committed to push them back to where they began. 

85. The Secret by Beverly Lewis

Seasons of Grace #1
read on my iPhone
2009 Bethany House Publishers
364 pgs.
Adult Amish Romance
Finished 8/27/18
Goodreads rating:  4.04 - 5894 ratings
My rating: 2.5
Setting: Contemporary PA Dutch country

First line/s:  "Honestly, I thought the worst was past."

My comments:  This is one heck of a long, drawn out story, so long and drawn out that it became quite boring.  It's the first of the series and leaves you pretty much hanging at the end.  I think the series is three books - books which could have been made into just one of the smae length.  It sure needed chopping!  And for being such a close knit clan/community, no one ever - EVER - really talks to each other or shares anything of any kind of importance.  Crazy.  They sure know how to gossip, though.  Is this what the AMish community is really like?  I'd love to find out what will happen to the three major portagonists but I refuse to spend the time....

Goodreads synopsis:  In the seemingly ordinary Amish home of Grace Byler, secrets abound. Why does her mother weep in the night? Why does her father refuse to admit something is dreadfully wrong? Then, in one startling moment, everything Grace assumed she knew is shattered. Her mother's disappearance leaves Grace reeling and unable to keep her betrothal promise to her long-time beau. Left to pick up the pieces of her life, Grace questions all she has been taught about love, family, and commitment.
          Heather Nelson is an English grad student, stunned by a doctor's diagnosis. Surely fate would not allow her father to lose his only daughter after the death of his wife a few years before. In denial and telling no one she is terminally ill, Heather travels to Lancaster County--the last place she and her mother had visited together. Will Heather find healing for body and spirit?
          As the lives of four wounded souls begin to weave together like an Amish patchwork quilt, they each discover missing pieces of their life puzzles--and glimpse the merciful and loving hand of God.

72. Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda

read on my iPhone
2017 Simon & Scxhuster
337 pgs.
Adult Mystery
Finished 8/1/18
Goodreads rating:
My rating: 3.5
Setting: contemporary western PA

First line/s:  "The cat under the front porch was at it again."

My comments  The story was told in a very roundabout way, which made it all the more interesting. The hardest part was trying to discover whether the protagonist/teller of the story was reliable or unreliable.  I wish the setting was described as more than “western Pennsylvania” because the setting was another interesting part of the story and it would be fun to pin down the locale. Even though everything was just about explained by the end, there were still a few questions that were left open for interpretation. Oh well. A pretty decent read all in all.:

Goodreads synopsis:  Confronted by a restraining order and the threat of a lawsuit, failed journalist Leah Stevens needs to get out of Boston when she runs into an old friend, Emmy Grey, who has just left a troubled relationship. Emmy proposes they move to rural Pennsylvania, where Leah can get a teaching position and both women can start again. But their new start is threatened when a woman with an eerie resemblance to Leah is assaulted by the lake, and Emmy disappears days later.
          Determined to find Emmy, Leah cooperates with Kyle Donovan, a handsome young police officer on the case. As they investigate her friend’s life for clues, Leah begins to wonder: did she ever really know Emmy at all? With no friends, family, or a digital footprint, the police begin to suspect that there is no Emmy Grey. Soon Leah’s credibility is at stake, and she is forced to revisit her past: the article that ruined her career. To save herself, Leah must uncover the truth about Emmy Grey—and along the way, confront her old demons, find out who she can really trust, and clear her own name.
          Everyone in this rural Pennsylvanian town has something to hide—including Leah herself. How do you uncover the truth when you are busy hiding your own?

64. Fields of Corn by Sarah Price

An Amish Christian Romance (believe it or not!!)
read on my iPhone
2010 published
272 pgs.
CRF - I have read that Amish Fiction is now considered a genre on its own
Finished July 18, 2018
Goodreads rating: 4.25 - 641 ratings
My rating:  2.5
Setting:  contemporary Lancaster County, PA

First line/s:  "The horse, a brown Morgan with a thick black mane, trotted down Musser School Lane, effortlessly pulling the black, box-like buggy."

My comments:  There's a fascination and pull towards the simplicity of the Amish life that more-than intrigues me, especially as I know live near numerous Amish communities.  But my sprirtual beliefs and those of the Amish are so very different that it makes books like these particularly difficult to digest.  The last quarter of the book pulled my rating way down, very hard for me to take.  Or understand.

Goodreads synopsis:  Shana Slater doesn't realize that her life is about to change when she pulls into the Lapp farm in Leola, Pennsylvania, to inquire about renting a small apartment over a mule shed. Yet, the price is right and the rolling fields of corn present a peaceful place for her to retreat when she is not working in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
          Her curiosity about the Amish way of life is piqued when she befriends Emanuel Lapp, the son of her landlord. As she learns about the Amish through his eyes, she quickly realizes that the Amish way of life is more than just religion and a plain way of living. She also discovers that the more she learns, the more she is unexpectedly falling for much more than their plain and simple lifestyle. When two worlds collide, which will survive and at what cost?
          Based in part on the author's experience living on an Amish farm, Fields of Corn presents a sweet and authentic love story.

14. In the Land of Milk and Honey by Jane Jensen

#2 Elizabeth Harris, Lancaster Police Detective
listened on Audible
2016, Berkley
304 pgs.
Adult Mystery
Finished February 1, 2018
Goodreads rating: 3.95 - 222 ratings
My rating: 4
Setting:  Contemporary Lancaster and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

First line/s:  "I pulled into the driveway at the Yoder's farm and turned off my car."

My comments:  My interest and appreciation for the Kate Burkholder Amish murder mysteries by Linda Castillo have beecome overshadowed, I think, but this series.  This, too, follows a police detective - not in Ohio, but in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  I still feel a little bit dissatisfied with the protagonist, but her relationship with a lovely ex-Amish man, Ezra Byler (although a story in the background of the main plot), is very enjoyable.  So yes, I love the setting.  I love this peek inside the life of the Amish.  The plot was different, horrible murders, but cleverly and believably written.  I wish I could put my finger on exactly why I'm not completely taken with Elizabeth Harris, she's a little too...single-minded...perhaps?  I'm not sure, but maybe and hopefully after reading a third installment in this series I'll have a little better handle on why I don't really like her as much as I think I should.

Goodreads synopsis: With its peaceful, hardworking Amish population, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a rural paradise. But former NYPD homicide detective Elizabeth Harris knows that evil lurks there—it’s just easier to hide... 
           By solving the murders of two local girls, Elizabeth has gained some trust in the Amish community. So, she’s the first person its members turn to when a fast and fatal illness takes hold, though many believe that the sickness stems from a hexerei—a curse placed by a practitioner of old-world folk magic. Elizabeth doesn’t believe in curses, and when an entire Amish family is found dead, she begins to suspect something far more sinister...
            As the CDC is called in to investigate, customers of a Philadelphia farmers market selling Amish raw milk start dying. Amid rapidly escalating panic, Elizabeth must peel away layers of superstition and fear to save the livelihood—and lives—of an entire community. Because what has happened isn’t an accident of nature or an act of God, it’s the handiwork of someone who has only just begun to kill... 

Day Trippin' to State College

A cold and crisp 37 degrees greeted me this morning as I began my first trip through the mountains to State College.

First stop was Marty's Quilt Shop on the outskirts of Lewistown.  A self-proclaimed "dog lady", her shop is in an old house with lots of Encore Yarns and a little of this and a little of that.  Really, really nice woman.

From there I went to Belleville to Mary Lee's Fabric Shop.  The shop is filled with patterns, samples, and consignment items as well as lots of fabrics including wools and homespuns.  They open at 8 in the morning and have lots of the fabrics that Amish and Mennonite women make their dresses with..  A lovely young Mennonite woman waited on me and told me how to get to State College using back roads.

From here I drove 305 up and around and through the mountains to get to my next stop.  Indeed, this is Amish country.  I passed two different buggies that were painted bright yellow.  Apparently there are three different Amish sects around here, and each paint their buggies in a different way.

A quick stop into Greenwood Furnace State Park - two lovely ladies in the office were talkative and informative.  I bought next year's 2018 State Parks calendar and got my State Parks Passport stamped.  Took a drive through the double loop camping area.  There's only one restroom and I noted the sites that seem the closest - site 38 would probably be the best.  Just a half mile down the road and across the street is a swimming area at the edge of what appears to be a little lake.  Loads and loads of picnic tables there, too.  Very nice.  Also right here is a little dam and spillway.  Looks like there are hiking trails and other things to explore and check out.  Big football game coming up this weekend at State College (vs. Michigan) and the campground is going to be full.

Stitch Your ARt Out is in Pine Grove, near State Collefgwe.  Thes has to be my most favorite store of the year!  Loads of Australian Aboriginal fabrics, lots and lots of projects, knitting - great yarns - and ideas galore.  The own'er name is Cynthia.  I must look and see if there's a class I can take up here.  Block of the month - an aboriginal design -started in Jnuary and is $60.00 for the whole year.  She'll mail, and it's not to late to begin.  She plans to have a workshop in March at the shop to put the quilt together.  Nittany Budget Motel is just down the road.

THE American Philatelic Center is in Bellafonte, just 11 miles up the road from State College.What a wonderful experience!  The building, part of an old match factory,, has been remodeled extensively  They even have a noriginal post office from mid-1800 West Virginia that has been dismantled and put together inside.  It's on permanent loan from the Smithsonian!  It's also a working post office.  Reminds me of the Postal History Museum in Tucson.  The have an exhibit with is A to Z of Stamp History, which was just marvelous.  The library - two floors of philatelic history  - has its own couple of librarians working here full time!  The woman who showed me around and kept checking on me has worked there for 37 years, but I never got her name, foolish me.  She was marvelous.  I loved, loved, loved this stop.  On the way out there were three baskets of old [ostcards, notecards, and first day covers - free for the taking!

Before leaving Bellafonte I found a letterbox in a Little Free Library on the top of a huge hill on South Allegheny.  The hill reminds me of San Francisco - I can't imagine what they do in the winter to traverse it!

I went up the the trailhead of Mount Nitanny in Lemont, where I found a letterbox and a handful of acorns.

I got onto 322/22 all the way to 81.  Decided to catch a movie in Harrisburg, making it a full super-fun day.  I never did get to explore State College.  Another road trip!

13. Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

listened to an unabridged cd in the car
read by Emily Rankin - superb
6 unabridged cds, 7 hrs.
2016, Dutton Book for Young Readers
304 pgs.
Historical fiction for upper middle grades (and up)
Finished 3-2-17
Goodreads rating: 4.3 - 4695 ratings
My rating: 5
Setting: rural Pennsylvania, just after World War II
Newbery Honor Award

First line/s:  "The year I turned twelve, I learned how to lie.  I don't mean the small fibs that children tell.  I mean real lies fed by real fears - things I said and did that took me out of the life I'd always known and put me down hard in a new one."

My comments:  Well.  This was an exceptionally heavy story, particularly for middle grade students of younger ages. That's not bad at all, though I think it might be a little tough for third or fourth graders until they're a little older - why force kids to grow up earlier than need be? It is an exceptionally well written story that will stay with me for a long, long while.  More and more in my life I wonder why people enjoy being mean, why a bully becomes a bully, and how easy it is for some people to lie.  Rural Pennsylvania in the after-World War II years is the perfect setting for this extraordinary story.

Goodreads synopsis:  Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby’s strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount.
          Brilliantly crafted, Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when one girl’s resilience, strength, and compassion help to illuminate the darkest corners of our history.