BOOK REVIEW The Moonshiner’s Daughter by Donna Everhart

The Moonshiner’s Daughter is a coming of age story featuring Jessie Sasser, a teenager who lives up to her name. This young lady grows up in the 60s during the time of backwoods stills and festering family feuds. From the earliest of Jessie’s memories, she is convinced that no good will ever come from her family’s bootlegging business. I can’t blame her since she lost her mother at a tender age and has no clear explanation of how that went down. Carrying that trauma around sparks a world of trouble for Jessie – inside and out. Fighting her so called heritage kicks up long-standing grudges that make life harder for everyone. Just as the past begins to open up those dark crevices, Jessie becomes more confused than ever.

Donna Everhart is a master at weaving the jagged tapestry of the parent-teen relationship into a work of art. As someone who works closely with teens, I applaud her accurate portrayal of the effects of trauma and the mental struggle of bullying and adolescent development. If you like a story that flows like the steady stream of bitters with characters you’ll want to follow well after the last page, pick this one up right away!