Wordy Birds

Claiming Georgia Tate

Original airdate: August 2, 2007

“One morning, I was swimming freestyle in the ocean at Edisto, South Carolina. There were dozens of dolphins out swimming, too. I heard, in my mind, a little girl say: ‘Sometimes he goes out too deep.’ I stopped swimming and watched the dolphins while I treaded water. I listened to the rest of what this girl had to say in this one moment in the ocean. Then, I got out of the water and went directly to my notebook. I wrote on my blanket until it started getting on my family’s nerves.”

And so began Gigi Amateau’s work on her debut novel “Claiming Georgia Tate.” The book tells the unflinching and unforgettable tale of a sensitive girl caught in the trauma of incestuous abuse. But “Claiming Georgia Tate” is also a joyful story of survival — an ode to the solace of true family, the mercy of strangers, and the possibility of hope and healing. “The story of Georgia Tate is fresh, funny, honest, and brutally painful,” says Judy Blume, author of the classic tales ”Forever” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” among others. “I was hooked on the fist page and couldn’t put the book down until I’d finished. Then I read it again. That’s the kind of book this is. You may close it, but you’ll never forget it.”

Gigi Amateau does bear some resemblance to her young, Southern protagonist of “Claiming Georgia Tate,” although the author has not personally experienced abuse. Says the author of her narrator, “We’re both from Mississippi. We both love catfish, watermelon, and rainy days, and our granddaddies saved our lives — mine when I was fifteen and in a lot of trouble and hers when she was twelve and far away from home. Georgia Tate has taught me so much about hope, family, and claiming the life that is yours.”

Listen to the show:

Buy the book:

Claiming Georgia Tate

Visit the author’s website:

www.gigiamateau.com