I Am a Georgia Girl: The Life of Lucille Selig Frank, 1888-1957

Twenty-five-year-old Lucille Selig Frank’s whole life changed on April 26, 1913, as the Confederate Memorial Parade marched through Atlanta, Georgia. Lucille was attending the opera matinee with her mother. Her husband, Leo Frank, sat in his office in the National Pencil Company, where he was superintendent, working on a financial report. The brutal murder of fourteen-year-old Mary Phagan, an employee of Leo’s, took place in the pencil factory that day. Lucille’s husband would be the last known person to see Mary alive. While much has been written about Mary Phagan’s murder and Leo Frank’s subsequent trial over the past 115 years, very little has given voice to Lucille Selig Frank and other women connected to the horrific events that took place between 1913-1915. Lucille was part of a mission to make Governor John Slaton aware of the antisemitism being shown to Leo during his arrest and trial. She paid a heavy price for her courage.

Ann Hite has written six novels and two nonfiction books. Her short story collection, HAINTS ON BLACK MOUNTAIN, was the bronze winner in the 2022 Foreword Indies Book Awards. She has been shortlisted for the Townsend Prize and nominated for the Pushcart. Her passion for history and Appalachia heavily influences her writing.