Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground

Zora and Me, Book 2

By: T. R. Simon

Narrated by: Channie Waites

A 2019 Edgar Award Finalist for Best Juvenile work and one of YALSA's 2019 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults

A powerful fictionalized account of Zora Neale Hurston’s childhood adventures explores the idea of collective memory and the lingering effects of slavery.

“History ain’t in a book, especially when it comes to folks like us. History is in the lives we lived and the stories we tell each other about those lives.”

When Zora Neale Hurston and her best friend, Carrie Brown, discover that the town mute can speak after all, they think they’ve uncovered a big secret. But Mr. Polk’s silence is just one piece of a larger puzzle that stretches back half a century to the tragic story of an enslaved girl named Lucia. As Zora’s curiosity leads a reluctant Carrie deeper into the mystery, the story unfolds through alternating narratives. Lucia’s struggle for freedom resonates through the years, threatening the future of America’s first incorporated black township - the hometown of author Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960). In a riveting coming-of-age tale, award-winning author T. R. Simon champions the strength of a people to stand up for justice.

©2018 T. R. Simon, original book published by Candlewick Press. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

An excellent tale of family friendship, loss and love

“The Cursed Ground” Is a tale of friendship, loss,love, hate and redemption. It tells a tale of the community and family we create, and how even the horror of slavery cannot destroy true bonds of love