Long before middle schoolers had heard of Katniss Everdeen, Mary Call Luther fought for survival and freedom in the harsh mountain setting of Appalachia. The odds were not in her favor, but she succeeded through a combination of wild plants, deception, caution, manipulating a sponsor (neighbor) in order to receive “gifts,” and her overriding will to protect her family. Who wouldn’t want to read this novel and learn the details of Mary Call’s story?
Aside from the Hunger Games parallels, I che