The Promise of Jesse Woods

The summer of 1972 was the most pivotal of Matt Plumley’s childhood.

While his beloved Pirates battle for back-to-back World Series titles, Matt’ s family moves from Pittsburgh to Dogwood, West Virginia, where his father steps into the pulpit of a church under the thumb of town leader Basil Blackwood.

A fish out of water, Matt is relieved to forge a fast bond with two unlikely friends: Dickie Darrel Lee Hancock, a mixed- race boy, and Jesse Woods, a tough-as-nails girl with a sister on her hip and no dad in sight.