Yankee Girl in Dixie

Long before Confederate symbols made front page news, they triggered racial strife in the deep South. Yankee Girl in Dixie, a historical novel, is based on actual events that took place in Pensacola, Florida in the 1970's. Newlyweds, Cassie and Jack, are excited to move to Pensacola, Florida, to start their new life together. But it is 1972. There is a war in Vietnam and civil unrest at home. Both will change their lives forever. When Jack's helicopter crashes in Vietnam, Cassie struggles to move on. But grief isn't her only challenge. As a new teacher in the south, she is naive and ignorant of the pattern of racism and extreme poverty. Confronted with situations that both shock and disturb her, she remains determined to make a difference in the lives of her students. Her allies in this effort are Reina, the African-American social worker in the school, and Grant, a high school history teacher, who has his own challenges, as the high school erupts in racial turmoil over the use of Confederate symbols. The story is told through the eyes of both Cassie and Grant, whose budding romance is thwarted both by Cassie's grief for her lost husband and the unfolding traumatic events in Pensacola. Cassie is initially resistant to Grant's romantic overtures, but life-threatening events and an unexpected messenger help her to embrace new love and purpose.