The Necessary Beggar Author:Susan Palwick Praised as a deeply felt, deeply moving tale...chilling and finely tuned (Publishers Weekly), Susan Palwicks first novel, Flying in Place, won widespread acclaim for its haunting exploration of a troubled childhood. Now, after a decade, Palwick returns with the powerful tale of a family cast out of an idyllic realm, learning to live in our troub... more »led worldan exciting and insightful examination of humanity in the spirit of Ursula Le Guins The Disposessed and Robert Heinleins Stranger in a Strange Land.Lmabantunk, the Glorious City, is a place of peace and plenty. But it is also a land of swift and severe justice. Young Darroti has been accused of the murder of a highborn woman who had chosen the life of a Mendicant, a holy beggar whose blessing brings forgiveness. Now his entire family must share his shame, and his punishmentexile to an unknown world.Grieving for the life they have left behind, Darroti and his family find themselves in a hostile landan all-too-familiar American future, a country under attack in a world torn by hatred and war.Some will surrender to despair. Some will strive to preserve the old ways. Some will be lured by the new worlds temptations. And some, sustained by extraordinary love, will find a way to heal the familys grief and give them hope.« less