A Gathering Place

When 81-year-old Blue Hamieh-a devout Lebanese Catholic-hears the voice of the Virgin Mary telling her to create a "gathering place" in New Orleans, she walks away from everything-her Mississippi home, her family's pleas, and all common sense.

It's 2009. Katrina's wreckage still scars the Gulf Coast as well as the city of New Orleans. Blue spends her life savings on a collapsing building in one of the Big Easy's most desolate neighborhoods, determined to turn it into a caf?that will unite three fractured communities. But crime, poverty, and underlying racial tensions close in fast. Thieves lurk in the shadows. Deep-rooted distrust threatens to divide rather than unite. And her own family-convinced she's lost her mind-plots to take her back home by force.

As her memory begins to slip, Blue is running out of time. To finish what she believes is a divine mission, she'll have to defy everyone who doubts her-and face down a city that may never be ready for her dream.

Vicki Salloum's gripping novel is a powerful story of faith, resilience, and the courage to rebuild when the world says it's too late. This is a story for all whose lives have been touched by natural disasters and devastating personal loss-and for all women who face ridicule in their quest to do what they believe is right.