Rootwork by Tracy Cross

Rootwork by Tracy Cross

Set in a small Louisiana parish, deep in the segregated South, Rootwork follows school-age sisters, Betty, Ann, and Pee Wee during one life-changing summer when the three of them head off to stay with their hoodoo-practicing aunt, Theodora, a powerful woman feared by the local townspeople. She teaches the girls the secrets of her craft, like how to make hot foot powder and how to whip up some goofer dust to get back at an enemy. The girls delight in their harmless hoodoo adventures until a tragic event involving the town's racist sheriff promises to change their lives forever.

A story of love and redemption, Rootwork explores the strength of family and the darker side of the heart.

Tracy L. Cross, Ph.D., holds an endowed chair, Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Psychology and Gifted Education, and is the executive director of the Center for Gifted Education and the Institute for Research on the Suicide of Gifted Students at William & Mary.

Jennifer Riedl Cross, Ph.D., is Director of Research at the William & Mary Center for Gifted Education.