Nice Chile
Child of Woe
by
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It was Sunday, and the church bells across the tracks had begun to chime a familiar tune. She began to sing, keeping the beat of the bells; “I am me; I am me, just me, Nice Chile.” What a beautiful melody filling the air and, in every bush and tree the birds sang her song in unison.
Walking down the railroad tracks, she made a shortcut to the big brick church …. For the first time, she had the courage to walk this far across the tracks and to hear the words to the music of the bells, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound.” Her small bones cramped from crouching for the past hour, so Nicie got up and started her long walk home. She began to wonder, “Who could this Grace be? Is she the pretty lady who took her children by the hand, or was she the one that had been polishing the shoes of her small son? I sure wish I knew this amazing Grace. Well, maybe I’ll find her one day.” Nicie walked swiftly towards Granma’s house and began to sing, “Grace for every need, Grace for every need.”
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About the Book
It is 1925 in Savannah, Georgia, as five-year-old Nicie walks through her slum neighborhood and wonders who she really is. Raised by her grandmother, aunt, and uncle and given no details of her biological parents, Nicie feels angry and alone. She longs to belong, but Nicie is the victim of secrets.
Called Nice Chile by her grandmother, Nicie is undernourished and bears the unfortunate knowledge that she is not wanted. Her grandmother cares for her, but when Nicie is six, her grandmother passes away, changing her life forever. Haunted by recurrent dreams about her parents, Nicie finds a kindred spirit in a new friend, Miss Missy Mock, who soon tells her the story of her family of another place and time and slowly unlocks the mysteries of her identity. Missy takes Nicie’s hand and leads her into the past, where she is about to find the amazing grace she has been searching for her whole life.
In this historical tale set in the Deep South, the truth is finally revealed to a little girl determined to discover her identity and realize the happiness she deserves.
About the Author
Rebecca Golden was born in Clewiston, Florida, and later moved to southern Georgia, where she grew up part of a musical family that spurred her love of songwriting. Now retired after a career with the state of Georgia, Rebecca currently resides with her husband, John, in Thomasville, Georgia, where she spends her days writing.