Willie Cordell

The Long Desperate Road: a Novel Based on a True Story Willie Cordell

A moving tribute to two brave and courageous women, The Long Desperate Road chronicles the life of Mary Jane Burgess and her daughter, Willie Cordell. In the Deep South in the mid-1940s, Mary Jane faced difficult obstacles. The mother of four children and pregnant with her fifth, she had to fend for herself when her husband deserted her. She refused to give her children up to an orphanage and fled her home, taking all her children with her, and moved to a quiet country house in Barney, Georgia. Despite not being able to read or write, Mary Jane was determined to raise her children by herself. She picked cotton in the fields, pulled tobacco plants, and worked for an elderly couple at their grocery store. As the children grew, Mary Jane encouraged them through school, relationships, and marriage, never failing to be there for them when they needed her most. Even after her death in 1973, her daughter Willie continued to fulfill her mother's legacy by instilling faith, love, and hope in her own children, and going on to live a full and blessed life. Rich with the sights and sounds of the American South and bursting with memory, The Long Desperate Road reveals how one mother's unconditional love continues to be felt in her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.