1951. Despite struggling with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Maggie Esh is sweet-spirited. When her Dat remarries, less than a year after Maggie's mother died, her stepmother-- though kind-- simply doesn't understand Maggie or her illness. An unsettling family situation occurs, and hope begins to seem elusive. Maggie attends some tent revival meetings out of curiosity, but the words of the evangelist begin to stir something deep inside her. Dare she hope for a brighter future?
Severity reflects intensity, not value — “central theme” means a warning is a core part of the book, not that the book is bad.