Frankie Silver was convicted and hanged in Morganton, North Carolina, for the murder of her husband in 1833. She left behind a 13-month-old daughter named Nancy, who was kidnapped by Frankie's family, the Stuarts, and taken to Franklin, North Carolina, to live. Several years later, her maternal grandmother sought custody of her and took her back to Yancy County. A LIFE FOR NANCY takes readers on a journey of Nancy's life from 1832 until her death in 1901. The murder of her father and execution of her mother would follow Nancy through a life filled with tragedy and heartache. With a husband who is caught up in the Civil War, survival is her top priority, and she will do anything to make sure her children are fed as poverty hits the Appalachian Mountains. Based on true stories handed down through the generations and actual documents found by family members, this work of historical fiction is full of mystery, romance and murder, as Nancy seeks to find some sort of peace in her life.

Frankie Silver was convicted and hanged in Morganton, NC for the murder of her husband in 1833. She left behind a 13-month-old daughter named Nancy, who was kidnapped by Frankie's family, the Stuarts, and taken to Franklin, NC to live. Several years later, her maternal grandmother sought custody of her and took her back to Yancey County. A Life for Nancy - Daughter of Frankie Silver takes readers on a journey of Nancy's life from 1832 until her death in 1901. The murder of her father and execution of her mother would follow Nancy through a life filled with tragedy and heartache. With a husband who is caught up in the Civil War, survival is her top priority and she will do anything to make sure her children are fed as poverty hits the Appalachian Mountains. Based on Stories handed down through the generations and actual documents found by family members, this historical fiction is full of mystery, romance and murder, as Nancy seeks to find some sort of peace in her life.

The New York Times Bestseller Set in the Appalachian wilderness and blending legends and folklore with high suspense, this stellar novel, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, is considered one of McCrumb's crowning achievements. In 1833 Frankie Silver was an eighteen-year-old girl convicted of murder in Burke County, North Carolina. Through a detailed investigation, the local sheriff, and soon all the townsfolk, discover reason to question her guilt---but the wheels of justice were mercilessly unstoppable, and she was hanged. Now, more than a century later, another woman is convicted of murder in the lush hills of Tennessee. Her life is in the hands of Spencer Arrowood, a man who begins to discover that the convictions of these two women have deep and haunting parallels. Although Frankie's fate cannot be changed, there is still time to alter the fate of another innocent woman. In a voice that could only be Sharyn McCrumb's, the worlds of these two murders, these two women, intersect in this densely plotted and lyrical novel—and characters, generations, and history are breathlessly painted against an Appalachian canvas.

Three days before Christmas in 1831, Frankie Silver killed her husband, Charles Silver, with an axe and burned his body in the fireplace. Author Perry Deane Young, whose ancestors were involved in the case, began collecting material about it as a teenager. As a college student, he was astounded to learn that most of what he had been told was actually false. Abused by her husband, Frankie killed in self defense. The laws of that time would not allow her to take the stand and explain what happened. She was unjustly hanged in July of 1833. Young proves the real crime is the way this poor woman has been misrepresented by balladeers and historians all these years. Perry Deane Young provides important historical background to this fascinating story Young is able to build suspense, even for a story many of his readers may already knowBy personalizing both Frankie Silvers story and his own search for it, Young has given readers an interesting and well-written book about history and the way it is created. --Lynn Moss Sanders in Appalachian Journal Most of my life Ive heard stories about a pretty mountain lady who was hanged for nothing more serious than murdering her husband. Here, and I can say at last after one and a half centuries, is the true account, thoroughly researched and beautifully presented. Its a highroad journey into this Appalachian mystery. --John Ehle, author of The Land Breakers, The Road, The Journey of August King

The harrowing true story of abduction and survival from the courageous young woman who lived it—now the subject of a Lifetime original movie, I Am Elizabeth Smart. In this memoir, Elizabeth Smart reveals how she survived and the secret to forging a new life in the wake of a brutal crime. On June 5, 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the daughter of a close-knit Mormon family, was taken from her home in the middle of the night by religious fanatic Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. Elizabeth was kept chained, dressed in disguise, repeatedly raped, and told she and her family would be killed if she tried to escape. After her rescue on March 12, 2003, she rejoined her family and worked to pick up the pieces of her life. With My Story, Elizabeth tells of the constant fear she endured every hour, her courageous determination to maintain hope, and how she devised a plan to manipulate her captors and convinced them to return to Utah, where she was rescued minutes after arriving. Smart explains how her faith helped her stay sane in the midst of a nightmare and how she found the strength to confront her captors at their trial and see that justice was served. In the years after her rescue, Smart transformed from victim to advocate, traveling the country and working to educate, inspire and foster change. She has created a foundation to help prevent crimes against children and is a frequent public speaker. She and her husband, Matthew Gilmour, now have two children.

What would possess a grandmother to murder her two-year-old granddaughter? The Legend of Nance Dude presents all the known facts surrounding Roberta Putnams grizzly murder and the arrest, trial, and subsequent conviction of her grandmother, Nancy Ann Kerley, also known as Nance Dude.

A novel that became an award-winning play and a major film, and that has charmed generations of readers, The Member of the Wedding is a story of the inimitable twelve-year-old Frankie, who is utterly bored with her life until she hears about her older brother’s wedding. Bolstered by lively conversations with her house servant, Berenice, and her six-year-old cousin—and her own unbridled imagination—Frankie takes on an overly active role in the wedding, even hoping to go (uninvited) on the honeymoon. This story is a marvelous study of the agony of adolescence and of wanting to be part of something larger and more accepting than yourself. The Member of the Wedding showcases Carson McCullers at her most sensitive, astute, and lasting best. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.