Book excerpt: The Light Above is a memoir told through the unfolding stories of two proud daughters of New England—Margaret Fuller, American transcendentalist, women’s rights champion, and public intellectual, alive in the first half of the nineteenth century; and Maria Dintino, the author, daughter of a first-generation Italian American and longtime New Hampshirite. A literary enthusiast, Dintino encounters Fuller and discovers that her stories shed light on her own. Fuller becomes Dintino's guide and teacher, and Dintino gradually deepens in understanding and trust of her own life story. A memoir that reveals the impact of shared stories, extending beyond the limits of time and place.