Introduction

It is 1962, and Agnes Hayden Bashford, Haddie, a brainy Southern teen from a tradition-bound family, dreams of breaking free from suffocating expectations placed on girls and from Wicomico Corners. She vows to escape to the exhilarating world beyond its narrow borders, like her handsome, older friend Gideon Albright who is going to Vietnam. A series of shocking incidents brings the outside world crashing down on her peaceful village, exposing long-buried family secrets and setting Haddie on a collision course with an unstable firebrand who will have to silence her to protect his identity. Haddie witnesses the fatal shooting of a black teen by a white down-on-his-luck farmer trying to protect his retarded son. The resulting murder trial attracts outside agitators and political aspirants, and pits townspeople against each other. Excited about being a witness in the trial, Haddie sees her moment of notoriety dissolve into frustration and discomfort and tragedy claim the people around her. The racially-charged case exposes civic fault lines and secrets within Haddie's own family, shattering her comfortable home life, and unleashes an arsonist who terrorizes the community by night. In Deed So, a young girl and an entire town lose their innocence in the last year of innocence, the year before the Kennedy assassination, the civil rights struggle, feminist activism and the Vietnam War changed America forever.

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Excerpt

Chapter 1
I was a waitress for Christ. Recruited into the legions of church supper servers, who answered the call across the South every fall, I reported to our parish hall and delivered platter upon steaming platter of artery-choking victuals to appreciative suspender-slapping locals and city folk who came down in sleek motor coaches. I started when I was six. Child labor laws could not stand up to the will of Dixie's God. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

1. In the opening chapter of Deed So, Haddie talks about Eden. How does the story of Eden relate to the events in Wicomico Corners? How does Haddie's view of Eden relate to her own loss of innocence?
2. What does the mute swan symbolize?
3. How do the two young men in Haddie's world, Gideon and Farley, compare? What are their aspirations? How are their dreams or beliefs thwarted? Why is this fatal in both cases? How do their fates relate?
4. What is at the core of the argument between the two adult men in Haddie's life, her father Tom Bashford and his cousin, Hayden Kent?
5. What female role models are available to Haddie in her community? Her mother, Aliceanna? Cleo" Her aunt, Olivia? Mrs. Dalton?
6. To Kill A Mockingbird, relates the story of Maycomb, Alabama in 1935, through the eyes of nine-year-old Scout. Here we see the village of Wicomico Corners and the county seat of Benedict in 1962. How have race relations changed?
7. What does Cleo value most and why?
8. The Battle of Ap Bac was a real battle that occurred early in the Vietnam conflict, yet in that battle were all the elements that made that war so divisive for Americans. What experiences and beliefs of the WWII veterans make it hard for them to understand what Gideon is saying at the Men's Breakfast?
9. How does the renovation of Haddie's home, Scarlett Hall, relate to the story?
10. The church and the parish community play a significant role in Haddie's life. Moreover, the church calendar and the festivals of the church provide much of the structure for Deed So. Is the centrality of the church necessary to the story? Is it a barrier to readers from other traditions?



11. How do the characters Sarah Jane and Elise contribute to Haddie's journey? How are their personalities reflected in the main character?
12. The consequences of sexual encounters for two generations of women are presented in Deed So. Are the stakes for Eliza Maddox and Sissy Nelson any different?
13. How does the community treat Elmer Slater, who is developmentally challenged, and Ed and Terry Petrusian who are autistic?
14. The author is describing the world of the Baby Boomers as they left childhood and began their journey to adulthood. What attributes of Boomers, who now are entering their sixties, can be traced to this period in their lives?
15. In his sermon, Reverend Harrison gives a definition of the expression, 'deed so.' After reading this book, what do you think it means?
16. Haddie's community is in denial about its racial status quo. While the locals don't much like outsiders telling them their business, certain local institutions are making changes. Which organizations are taking action? Which organizations have taken no action? Why?
17. What does the renovation of Scarlett Hall symbolize?

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