{"product_id":"tessas-heart-a-texas-story-9780578809649","title":"Tessa's Heart: A Texas Story","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHaunted by secrets and spirits, a Texas girl dances through dysfunction to find her voice.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the wildflower-strewn town of 1950s Yoakum, Texas, nine-year-old Tessa Carter is caught between two forces: her beauty-obsessed mother who longs for escape, and her fiercely religious grandmother who clutches family shame like pearls. What neither woman understands is that Tessa sees more than they know-ancestral ghosts, memories stitched into silver trays, and a father-shaped absence that cracks her spirit wide open.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTessa doesn't speak much-but she dances. Each wild movement is a rebellion against silence, a language of longing and strength. As she is pulled deeper into a supernatural dialogue with her great-grandmother Eunice and eccentric great-aunt Gertie, Tessa discovers stories long buried and women long ignored. She begins to question not only her place in this matriarchal maze, but whether she can forge a future unbound by inherited shame.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Southern Gothic coming-of-age tale woven with humor, heartbreak, and fierce tenderness, \u003cem\u003eTessa's Heart\u003c\/em\u003e explores what happens when the past refuses to stay buried-and a girl refuses to stay quiet. With prose both lyrical and unflinching, Jackie Lewis brings readers a story of defiant magic, ancestral voices, and the unshakable resilience of one unforgettable girl.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers of \u003cem\u003eThe Secret Life of Bees\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Tessa's Heart\u003c\/em\u003e is a lush and lyrical Southern tale of ghosts, grit, and girlhood. Jackie Lewis delivers a novel that lingers-long after the dancing stops.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"An engaging story that speaks volumes...\"- Winner in the WOMEN'S ISSUES category of the 2024 IndieReader Discovery Awards\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Funny, poignant, sad, and exhilarating...\" - An Honorable Mention from the Eric Hoffer Award.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A compelling, unpredictable, and poignant story ...\" - Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Flying Horse on Fire\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/20\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780578809649\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 328\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.06lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.73d","brand":"Jackie Lewis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52452167352501,"sku":"9780578809649","price":16.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_1b0a751b-49f4-4905-a5c3-7a26d4e798c2.jpg?v=1776826008","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/tessas-heart-a-texas-story-9780578809649","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}