LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD  "Fortified with wit and tenderness . . . Gun Love potently illuminates a puzzled land."-O: The Oprah Magazine NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST FICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TIME SHORTLISTED FOR THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE The searing, unforgettable story of a young girl's resilience, by the award-winning author of Prayers for the Stolen Pearl's mother took her away from her family just weeks after she was born, and drove off to central Florida determined to begin a new life for herself and her daughter--in the parking lot next to a trailer park. Pearl grew up in the front seat of their '94 Mercury, while her mother lived in the back. Despite their hardships, mother and daughter both adjusted to life, making friends with the residents of the trailers and creating a deep connection to each other. All around them, Florida is populated with gun owners--those hunting alligators for sport, those who want to protect their families, and those who create a sense of danger.  Written in a gorgeous lyric all its own, Gun Love is the story of a tough but optimistic young woman growing up in contemporary America, in the midst of its harrowing love affair with firearms.