The Willie Morris Awards for Southern Writing honor “honest, optimistic writing about the US South.” The prizes are named for the Mississippi-born writer and former editor of Harper’s Magazine.
“Merritt portrays her as a fighter: determined and brave in the face of illness, censorship, book bans, arson, and death threats. An appreciative portrait of a defiant woman.”
“Historian Merritt’s insightful, engaging narrative effortlessly folds in family anecdotes and excerpts…This well-documented and perceptive tribute aptly humanizes a visionary and fearless woman.”
“An excellent and inspiring biography, recommended for general collections and especially for those interested in literary figures and civil rights and LGBTQIA+ activists of the 1960s.”