Linda Horton

From Hell to Hallelujah! Linda Horton

From Hell to Hallelujah is based on a true story of a strong woman who survived much more than just The Great Depression. Dolly was the third born (first girl) in a family of seven children in 1927 in Frametown, W. VA. She was always close to her mother who she says was the best mother anyone could have, but her father was a no-good drunk who beat all his children and began to sexually molest Dolly at age eleven on his infrequent "visits" home. Dolly decided she had to get away. She lied about her age-telling them she was sixteen--and applied for a kitchen helper's job in a large hotel in Gassaway, W. VA which, although only eleven miles from her isolated home, was a whole new world to her. The hotel paid her $12.00 a week, provided two meals a day, and furnished a small room to sleep in. And yes, that got her away from the sexual predator, but as with many children raised in severely dysfunctional families, Dolly would continue for many years to jump headlong, unwittingly, into brutal circumstances. The thing that eventually turned her life around was her strong work ethic, her determination to survive and succeed, and her desire to love and help others.