The author of "How I Found the Strong" pens a gritty, beautifully told story about a girls adjustment to life after the Civil War, and how she tries to rise above the bad reputation of her entire family.

Life as an O& #39; Donnell is all twelve-year-old Addy knows, and life as an O& #39; Donnell means trouble.< BR> Tucked away in a gray patch of woods called No-Bob, the O& #39; Donnell clan has nothing but a bad reputation. So when Addy& #39; s mama abandons her on the afternoon of Mr. Frank Russell& #39; s wedding celebration, nobody is very surprised. A reluctant Mr. Frank and his new wife take Addy in, and Addy does everything she can to prove that at least one O& #39; Donnell has promise. But one day, Addy witnesses a terrible event that brings her old world crashing into the new.< BR> As she finds herself being pulled back into No-Bob and the grips of her O& #39; Donnell kin, Addy is faced with the biggest decision of her life. Can she somehow find the courage to do what& #39; s right, even if it means betraying one of her own?

'Margaret McMullan lives in Evansville, Indiana, with her husband and son. Margaret was born in Newton County, Mississippi, near Smith County, where How I Found the Strong is set, and the main character is based on her grandmother\'s great-uncle.'