The summer of 1976 should have been the best of times for nature-loving Eli Book, but instead it is filled with terrible changes. His sister begins to hate her country. His beautiful but distant mother is caught between his traumatized Vietnam War vet father and his former antiwar protester aunt, who has come to live with them. And the only person with whom he can be himself, his best friend, Edie, begins to turn inward when her parents split up. Watching from the sidelines while his world falls apart, Eli must take his first courageous steps toward truth-telling and adulthood."ELI THE GOOD is this generation's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD." - Pamela Duncan, author of MOON WOMEN"Destined to become a classic." - Good Reads“As in any good southern novel, it’s the well-drawn characters and rich setting that make this a memorable story.” — Kirkus Reviews