In the summer of 1964 as she is about to turn twelve, Glory's town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi, is beset by racial tension when town leaders close her beloved public pool rather than desegregating it.

Couldn't Hardly Spit -- Spying -- Laura Lampert Comes to Town -- Me and Emma and Nancy Drew -- Jesslyn Pitches a Fit -- Twirling Fire -- Here's What's Broken -- Letters to the Tribune -- A Firecracker Blew Off His Finger -- J.T. Stinks -- Mis B. Says Hogwash! -- Old Lady Simpson Slams the Door -- Jesslyn's Big Fat Lie -- Trying to Breathe Under a Blanket -- Hot, Squished, Itching -- Almost Dark -- Cross My Heart -- The Storm on Sunday -- Dinner Table Disaster -- If I Lived to be a Hundred -- Bald-faced Lie -- A Heap of Trouble -- For Dang Sure -- Patches -- Black and Blue and Ugly -- Hanging Moss Hornets -- Glory Be -- A Tornado Went Through -- A Smile as Big as Mississippi -- Books Don't Care Who Reads Them -- What All I Learned This Summer -- Author's Note -- Acknowledgments.