True Gritis a great American novel that tells the story of a teenager's overpowering effort to avenge the murder of her father. Set in a period in history when the law was much less well-established than it is now, True Grit takes its place alongside books like To Kill a Mockingbirdand the novels of Mark Twain. It is a beloved American classic through and through. Leonard S. Marcus, renowned children's book historian, has written a wonderful afterword meant especially for a young readership, available only in this edition.