When I Crossed No-Bob

This book is the sequel to, How I Found The Strong, by Margaret McMullan. Fresh from the Civil War, families in Mississippi strive to adjust to the reunited country with all of its new problems. The book is written from the perspective of Addy, an abandoned twelve-year-old girl who was taken in by the reluctant Frank Russell and his new bride. Frank's, coming-of-age story was portrayed in the prequel, How I found the Strong. Now, Frank is married and facing a life of added responsibilities due to the addition of Addy. Addy's past and family reputation precedes her as she is from the aggressive O'Donnell clan.
Addy's attempt to please is overshadowed by her former life as an O'Donnell. Unfortunately, the past which she is determined to defeat comes back to haunt her. Addy, like the man who took her in, must face some tough decisions.
McMullan takes the idealistic adolescent girl and infuses a coarse, tomboyish charm. Addy is full of the idiosyncrasies and flaws which come from living a hard life. Addy's loyalties are put to the test. She rises above her circumstances and demonstrates that ancestry doesn't have to define you. No, Addy proves that character is not guided by blood.
Written in the language of the times, this story develops a genre all its own. Historical references along with life changing events weave an intense vignette of post war life in nineteenth century Mississippi.
No-Bob, like the patch of woods it is named after, takes the reader off the beaten track deep into the grueling life facing the war-torn, post-war south.