Lisa Alther

Tart-tongued Tennessean Ginny Babcock seems to live in an idyllic world-and her mother documents every moment for the family's home movies. But mother's "kinflicks" don't capture everything about Ginny. Not by a long shot. Original Sins: In this "thoroughly endearing" novel, Sally, Emily, Jed, Raymond, and Donny are friends who dream big in rural Tennessee (Chicago Tribune). But the road to reality isn't quite what they imagined. Some take the safe...

Five childhood friends with big plans face the changing realities of life in Tennessee in the 1960s. As Sally and Emily Prince and Jed, Raymond, and Donny Tatro sit under their beloved Castle Tree in rural, segregated Tennessee, they dream big dreams. But the journey from these dreams to reality is a long one. As they move into their teens, each faces challenges they could never have imagined. Sally and Jed may take a traditional route as head cheerleader...

Lisa Alther's classic coming-of-age novel set amidst the changing times of the 1960s American South. Growing up in Tennessee in a family of privilege, Ginny Babcock's world is seemingly idyllic. Her father, the Major, runs the local plant - and, thus, the town - and her mother works on beloved home movies, or "kinflicks," as her children call them, documenting the quintessential moments of her children growing up. But her mother's camera isn't there...

Most of us grow up knowing who we are and where we come from. Lisa Alther's mother hailed from New York, her father from Virginia. One day a babysitter told Lisa about the Melungeons: six-fingered child-snatchers who hid in caves. Forgetting about these creepy kidnappers until she had a daughter of her own, Lisa learned they were actually an isolated group of dark-skinned people-often with extra thumbs-living in East Tennessee. But who were they?...