Beating Heart

ISBN: 1456373560

Author: El-Eini, Anna

Condition: Used

Product Description "I recommend this book to the world." - Robert Bausch, author of Gypsy Man, an Oprah Magazine book choice, and of A Hole in The Earth, New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Behind the marble monuments and elegant suits of the Washington, D.C. seen on the news, theres a city where 1 in 5 live in poverty, nearly half the children fail high school, and 41 percent of young black men spend time in prison. This is where Linda Thurston, a young community organizer, lives and works. She must help stop a new prison from being built in the heart of the citys poorest neighborhood, and prevent eight hundred residents from being evicted. But to do this, Linda needs to believe in herself again after her brothers death, and she must win the trust of the communitys leader, Anita Douglas, who is secretly wrestling with her once unshakable faith in God. And together they need to help Luther Shaw, the campaigns lawyer, injured by gang violence, to overcome his bitterness. As Linda, Anita and Luther are forced to confront their own prejudices and fears, they come together across the black-white divide to heal a neighborhood. BEATING HEART is a profound and vivid journey into the neighborhoods that lie close to the White House, shut out from the American Dream. As you walk the streets with Linda, meet the residents and power-brokers who vie for control of the city and explore the citys forgotten river, youll discover what it takes to make a difference in the lives of others, and the rewards and losses that come from having tried. BEATING HEART will appeal to readers of the books ACTS OF FAITH and THE HELP. About the Author While working towards a PhD in molecular neurobiology Anna El-Eini volunteered at a local community center and saw first-hand the struggles faced by low-income, minority communities. She became a policy analyst and community organizer in Washington, D.C., and worked with communities across the city. A selection from BEATING HEART, her first novel, received an Honorable Mention in the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition 2010.