Macnolia [signed] [first edition]

"Generous and genuine poemsand many a spirit is raised by the strength of Jordan's confident voice."Eleanor Wilner In 1936, teenager MacNolia Cox became the first African American finalist in the National Spelling Bee Competition. Supposedly prevented from winning, the precocious child who dreamed of becoming a doctor was changed irrevocably. Her story, told in a poignant nonlinear narrative, illustrates the power of a pivotal moment in a life.