Book excerpt: Francis tells the breathtaking story of what happens after a Voodoo Lady's prediction comes true and biracial Sadie Winter is left behind by her white country singing mother, Annie, and forced to live with her intolerant, hard-driving grandmother on a mountain in Tennessee. Through the narrative of this audaciously curious girl, light is shed on the bigotry of this small, southern town, as well as the history of hypocrisy and secrets within her own family. But as what was meant to be temporary becomes long-term and the years go by and a girl approaches womanhood, will the Voodoo Lady's other predictions also come true? What might another upheaval do to Sadie's life?