A Higher Place in Heaven

A prequel to Pamela Parker’s Second Samuel (recently adapted into a motion picture, available to stream), A Higher Place in Heaven is set in 1925, on the front porch of New Hope, the home of Miss Madison. She and her longtime friend and servant, Miss Simpson, live a quiet life just outside the town of Second Samuel with their sons Frisky and US, who more often found at the fishing pond than in the schoolhouse. When Son and his wife Billie Augusta visit, he finds a document that would forever change the history of New Hope and its residents’ lives. Filled with laughter and tears, anger and forgiveness, this touching story is one that speaks to divisions that we still struggle with today. It also shows that, no matter our differences, love and grace can bring people together and keep New Hope alive.