South of Everything

ForeWord Reviews’ IndieFab Book of the Year “Editor’s Choice Award”
Independent Publisher Awards Bronze “Best Regional Fiction South”
Winner of International Book Awards in “Religious Fiction” Category

Set in 1940s Germantown, Tennessee, South of Everything is a magical coming-of-age story about the daughter of a plantation-owning family, who, despite her privileged background, finds more in common with “the help” than her own family.

Sara develops a special kinship with her parents’ servant Old Thomas, who introduces her to the mysterious Lolololo Tree—a magical, mystical tree with healing powers that she discovers is wiser than any teacher or parent or pries—and, in doing so, opens her eyes to the religious and racial prejudice of her surroundings.

A universal coming-of-age tale about questioning the world around us and finding our own truth, South of Everything will appeal to anyone who’s ever dreamed of stepping beyond the safe boundaries of the world they know.

Author: Audrey Taylor Gonzalez

Publication Date: September 15, 2015

Categories: Award-Winning, Fall 2015, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Description
About the Author

Description

ForeWord Reviews’ IndieFab Book of the Year “Editor’s Choice Award”
ForeWord Reviews’ IndieFab Book of the Year Finalist in Young Adult Fiction
Independent Publisher Awards Bronze “Best Regional Fiction South”
Winner of International Book Awards in “Religious Fiction” Category
2016 Indie Excellence Finalist in Regional Fiction

“When I was a young black girl I knew my place was on the ‘other side of the track’ of limited opportunities. And then there was Missy Sara, that other girl, who was rebuked for her cosmopolitan imagination and urban dreams and was raised up in high cotton, separate and unequaled, asking questions that whites disregarded. That’s just the way it was―with her and for me. This story will take you south of everything.”
—Deanie Parker, African America singer/songwriter and former president/CEO of the Soulsville Foundation

“South of Everything is a coming-of-age journey with poignant moments, distinct characters, and a powerful message about love in a time of harsh race relations.”
—IndieReader, Starred Review

“In the hands of an adroit storyteller, magical realism has always been one of the most truthful and compelling forms of fiction. Here, Gonzales proves herself to be master of both the form and her material. A beautiful book.”
—Phyllis Tickle, American author and lecturer, founding editor of the Religion Department of Publishers Weekly

“Audrey Taylor Gonzalez has written a magical tale about the realities of religious and racial prejudice, transformed by the author’s compassion and depth of understanding of the flawed nature of humanity.”
—Jimmy Santiago Baca, American Book Award and Pushcart Prize winning poet and novelist

About the Author

Reverend Audrey Taylor Gonzalez was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1939. In the span of her long life, she’s been a journalist, TV host, art gallery owner, racehorse breeder, mountain climber, world traveler, breast cancer survivor, and the first woman to be ordained to holy orders in the Southern Cone of South America at Uruguay’s Holy Trinity Cathedral in Montevideo. She is the author of three books, the fictional memoir The Lolololo Tree and two collections of writings and homilies, Sermons and Such and The Shady Place. South of Everything is her first novel. She resides in Memphis, Tennessee. For more about her, visit: www.audreytaylorgonzalez.org.