A tender thing
(Book)

"Under the bright lights of Broadway, one new musical pushes the boundaries of love, legacy, and art. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Eleanor O'Hanlon always felt different. In love with musical theater from a young age, she memorized every show album she could get her hands on. So when she discovers an open call for one of her favorite productions, she leaves behind everything she knows to run off to New York City and audition. Raw and untrained, she catches the eye of famed composer Don Mannheim, who catapults her into the leading role of his new work, "A Tender Thing," a provocative love story between a white woman and black man, one never before seen on a Broadway stage. As news of the production spreads, an outpouring of protest whips into a fury. Between the intensity of rehearsals, her growing friendship with her co-star Charles, and her increasingly muddled creative--and personal--relationship with Don, Eleanor is forced to confront her own naïve beliefs about the world. And when explosive secrets threaten to shatter the delicate balance of the company, and the possibility of the show itself, she must face a new reality and ultimately decide what it is she truly wants."--Cover flap.