Prof. Bret Lott’s best-selling novel Jewel was featured on the New York Times “50 States, 50 Love Stories” representing the state of Mississippi. Tina Jordan and Elisabeth Egan praise the book, writing:

This novel might be our favorite about the love of a mother for her child. Under the headline “Blessed Are the Ordinary,” our reviewer described it like this: “In this sweeping and beautifully written book, Mr. Lott has given us something unusual — an unsentimental account of the life of a woman from rural Mississippi who transcends poverty and ignorance to become part of a pioneering movement in the treatment of children with Down syndrome.” The woman is Jewel; her daughter is Brenda Kay. You won’t forget them.