{"product_id":"the-story-of-beautiful-girl-9780446574457","title":"The Story of Beautiful Girl","description":"\u003ch2\u003eThe Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRachel Simon's critically acclaimed novel takes readers on a 40-year journey through America's institutional landscape, beginning in 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, find themselves trapped in the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded—forgotten by society but deeply in love with each other.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eA Story of Escape and Survival\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the couple escapes the institution, Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. They find temporary refuge with Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow who lives on a nearby farm. But their freedom is short-lived. When authorities arrive that same night, Homan disappears into the darkness while Lynnie is captured. Before being dragged back to the institution, Lynnie whispers two desperate words to Martha: \"Hide her.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFour Decades of Love and Determination\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis secret pact between Martha and Lynnie sets in motion an epic tale spanning four decades. The novel follows the separated lives of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia as they navigate seemingly insurmountable obstacles—institutional barriers, racial prejudice, and societal discrimination against people with disabilities. Despite these challenges, they remain connected by extraordinary love and an unbreakable bond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAward-Winning Author Rachel Simon\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRachel Simon brings the same emotional depth and authenticity that made her memoir \u003ci\u003eRiding the Bus with My Sister\u003c\/i\u003e a bestseller and Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. \u003ci\u003eThe Story of Beautiful Girl\u003c\/i\u003e has become a beloved selection for book clubs, school reading programs, and city-wide reads across the country. Simon's powerful storytelling illuminates the civil rights era, disability rights movement, and the enduring power of human connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003ePublished by Grand Central Publishing\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis paperback edition from Grand Central Publishing delivers a compelling narrative that addresses social issues including institutional reform, interracial relationships, and the treatment of people with disabilities during the 1960s and beyond. The novel resonates with readers interested in historical fiction grounded in the realities of American social history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: \"Hide her.\" And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRachel Simon\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning author and nationally known public speaker. She is best known for her critically acclaimed, bestselling memoir \u003ci\u003eRiding the Bus with My Sister, \u003c\/i\u003e which was adapted for a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of the same name. The book has garnered numerous awards, and is a frequent and much beloved selection of many book clubs, school reading programs, and city-wide reads throughout the country. Simon is also the author of the bestselling novel \u003ci\u003eThe Story of Beautiful Girl\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Grand Central Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50680610488594,"sku":"9780446574457","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ab066f7d-8677-4402-8be2-4a54d61fd3c0.jpg?v=1734923147","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-story-of-beautiful-girl-9780446574457","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}