"Oh, how I wished I could've told her what had happened. How I wished I could've let go and allowed the tears to spill. But I knew that if I had cried, Mama would've asked me what the matter was. And if I had told her the truth, she would've said that I was lying. And if she thought that I was lying . . . well, you know the rest.

Still, I wonder . . . did she know?

Did anyone know?

Didn't everyone know?"

The story of Lucy Green Eyes, as depicted through actual events, chronicles the early life of Merlene McDaniel, a young girl who is given away at birth to be raised by her grandmother. From an early age, Merlene discovers that her well-being is not contingent upon the nurturing of her guardians, but rather on her ability to cope with the stains of illegitimacy, molestation and abandonment. Although many of her days are spent dodging the stinging switches of an overly-strict grandmother, yearning for the embrace of a part-time mother, hoping for a smile from an oncoming stranger, or running from dirty old men, Merlene determinedly rises above the adversities in her pathway, all in the name of self-preservation, while maintaining a lying grin to uphold her brave façade.

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