After moving to a humble cottage outside of a tiny Texas town, Debra Monroe rids herself of an abusive husband and, finally, after several disheartening letdowns, is able to adopt her beautiful baby daughter, Marie. Though elated, she faces new trials as a white mother of a black child.

DEBRA MONROE is the author of The Source of Trouble, winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. She is also the author of the short story collection A Wild, Cold State; two novels, Newfangled and Shambles; two memoirs, On the Outskirts of Normal and My Unsentimental Education (both Georgia); and the essay collection It Takes a Worried Woman (Georgia). She is the editor of Contemporary Creative Nonfiction. She lives in Austin, Texas, and teaches in the MFA program at Texas State University.