the Education of Asa Paxton: Coming Age in Heart Dixie

In 1933, thirteen-year-old Asa is uprooted from Chicago and relocated to Blue Rock, Alabama, situated along the Tennessee River. His encounter with racism is swift and brutal, largely due to his family's connection with a group of Black laborers, which brands him as an outcast in the community. As he matures into a striking seventeen-year-old, Asa remains isolated from the local girls. However, everything changes when a bridge opens up a route to East Bluff, Mississippi, leading him to Rosaleigh Pickett. The daughter of the county prosecutor and the chairwoman of the Daughters of the Confederacy, Rosaleigh is an audacious young woman who challenges the norms of her time. She harbors a deep disdain for Jim Crow laws and the Lost Cause ideology. Through her influence, Asa discovers his moral compass, gains confidence, and learns to confront the harsh realities of his era.