The Mer-Child
A Legend for Children and Other Adults
The modern legend with the ring of a classic.
The Feminist Press at City University of New York, 1991
“What a rare and precious tale this is! A story worthy of children and the casual miracles of this magical world.” —ALICE WALKER
“A sad but ultimately uplifting tale of two outcasts who form an intense and bittersweet friendship by the edge of the sea. The tale invites comparison to Randall Jarrell’s The Animal Family.” —PUBLISHERS’ WEEKLY
“A novel that reminds us what novels are for. Morgan peels away masks, creates the whole by viewing it from all sides, deepens our understanding of real life.” —GLORIA STEINEM
An enchanting story of two outsiders who find a deep kinship in each other, The Mer-Child—with pale green skin, surf-white hair, and shimmering rainbow-hued tail—is not fully accepted in the sea world or the human world. The Little Girl, child of a black mother and white father, is ostracized both because of her race and because her legs are paralyzed. When these two meet, the result is magical, as the bonds the outcasts weave together against all odds become a celebration of our common capacity to love.