Circle of Fire (Mysteries through History)

by Evelyn Coleman

  I could not have written this book without the assistance of Joseph Lujan of Cowan, Tennessee, and his firsthand knowledge of Mrs. Roosevelt’s visit to Highlander; and Dr. Scott Bates, a retired professor at the University of the South, who shared his stories about Myles Horton and also participated in the first lawsuit aimed against segregation in the area. Thank you both for walking with me through the old Highlander grounds and sharing your memories. Thanks also to Dora Turner and Ms. (Sis) Swain for telling me about the trains and rolling stores.

  I cannot put into words the gratitude I feel to Guy and Candie Carawan for their willingness to share not only their knowledge but their home with a total stranger. Their music and words will forever live in my heart. What a night of fireworks!

  Thanks to Troy Fore, editor of The Speedy Bee, a beekeeping newspaper, for helping me keep my story straight.

  Thanks also to the real Calvin Johnson for telling someone his Eleanor Roosevelt ice cream story I read about it in the book The Candle She Lit: A Woman of Quality, Eleanor Roosevelt, by Stella K. Hershan.

  Finally, thanks to Ernest and Jackie Varner for giving me a place to stay while writing this book.

  About the Author

  Evelyn Coleman believes unicorns are real and that one day she will return to her own planet. In the meantime, she has written more than ten award-winning books in different genres, from picture books to middle grade to YA to adult thrillers. She was the president of the Mystery Writers of America and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her book Freedom Train was on Georgia Center for the Book’s inaugural list of 25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read, and Shadows on Society Hill was nominated for an Edgar Award. Coleman has written several books for American Girl, including her most recent novel, The Cameo Necklace, a mystery about the doll Cécile.

  All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text Copyright © 2001, 2009 by Evelyn Coleman

  Map Illustration byJean-Paul Tibbles

  Line Art by Laszlo Kubinyi

  Cover design by Amanda DeRosa

  ISBN: 978-1-4976-4823-4

  This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

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  New York, NY 10014

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  MYSTERIES THROUGH HISTORY

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