All God's Children

In a heartfelt story of faith, redemption and loyalty, Eidson (St. Agnes' Stand; The Last Ride) conjures up life on the Kansas prairie in the 1890s. Pearl Eddy has more trouble than any woman should ever have to bear. Recently widowed, left with four sons to raise and her farm deep in debt, Pearl is a lone Quaker in a Methodist town, barely tolerated by her neighbors. She's also blind. And then things get really bad. Driven by her religious convictions, Pearl gives reluctant sanctuary to a black man running from the law and to a destitute Japanese family tormented by racism. Surrounded by intolerance and plagued by the violence she hopes to avoid, Pearl struggles to keep her family together, avoid the bank's foreclosure on her farm and still remain true to her faith's insistence on nonviolence in the face of antagonists hobbled by no such scruple. Pearl never wavers, despite the odds against her. The black man, Prophet, is a thief and liar who initially sees Pearl as just another easy mark to swindle and deceive. His boxing skills, however, save Pearl and her children from beatings and rape, and each then slowly begins to learn respect for the other. Eiko is the matriarch of the Japanese family that has been robbed of its dignity while merely seeking peace and a home. She is tough and practical, and her special talents compliment Prophet's brawn and Pearl's brains. These unlikely allies must face small-town fear, prejudice and violence. Eidson has created a powerfully visual tale filled with the timeless virtues of courage and loyalty. Reader's Digest Condensed Books; film rights optioned by British director Gerard de Kame. (June)