Icy Sparks

The poignant, humorous, and transcendent story of a little girl growing up in the 1950s in Eastern Kentucky's highlands is told in Icy Sparks. The protagonist in Gwyn Hyman Rubio's exquisitely written first book is Icy Sparks, a memorable woman in the vein of Will Treed in Cold Sassy Tree and Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. Icy, a bright, inquisitive youngster who was reared by loving grandparents after being abandoned as a newborn, starts having weird events when she is 10 years old. She tries her hardest, but her "secrets"—verbal croaks, moans, and bodily spasms—don't go away. She will learn as an adult that she has Tourette's Syndrome, a rare neurological condition, but for years her conduct has left others perplexed, deeply embarrassed, and filled with mystery.

The novel follows a challenging, but ultimately humorous and endearing journey, from her first spasms to her self-acceptance as a young lady, and is narrated by an adult Icy. Icy is gifted, enthusiastic, and curious about life beyond the hills. She discovers that she must overcome all obstacles—spiritual, mental, and physical—in order to gain acceptance and a sense of community.