Ruby Pruett's story is, in part, a historical look back in time. It is a story of her Mother's love and a childhood that faced many hardships. As an adult, her story is about never giving up but rather overcoming adversity through her industry and hard work, striving always to improve herself. It is the story of a woman of integrity, hard work, service to others, dedication to family and adherence to Christian values. A story cherished by a loving family, friends, and co-workers, the story...

Ruby Pruett vividly recounts the compelling story of her life, focusing on her youth, and highlights later events. She commands readers’ attention and sympathy with her poignant narrative.A native Tennessean, she grew up during the Great Depression, enduring poverty and abuse from an alcoholic father and others in her large extended family. It was largely her godly mother’s love, teaching, and examples in word and deed that she commanded the strength to rise above her circumstances...

"Lynn Pruett provides, by turns, a sensual, humorous, heart-breaking and uplifting look at life in a small Alabama town." — New Haven AdvocateHailed as "a triumph" by the Lexington Herald-Leader, Ruby River drops us into a small town during a blistering Alabama summer. Hattie Bohannon has just opened a truck stop—a magnet for transients of questionable background and inclination, some say, and an uneasy presence in tradition-bound, gossi...

Booklist hails the "snappy, smart writing, and memorable characters" in this novel that is steeped in Southern sensibility. The last thing widow Hattie Bohannon expects when she opens a truck stop in Alabama is controversy. But that's just what she gets when allegations surface that the parking lot is a haven for prostitution. With the local Bible-thumping minister crusading to close the truck stop, Hattie and her unruly daughters must fight to preserve their names and their way of life.