“Grace” combines the background of the 1960s’ Civil Rights Movement with the present-day topic of sexual harassment in colleges and universities.

The novel by Nancy Allen, “Grace” (347 pp.; $17.47, print; $7.99, digital; Atmosphere Press, 2021) transcends the harshness of these concerns with a compelling story and characters that are believable and relatable.

Allen has a book-signing for “Grace,” 1 - 3 p.m. Nov. 13, Moravian Book Shop, 428 Main St., Bethlehem.

In the novel’s story, Catherine Finley leaves a job and a failing relationship to move closer to her father Douglas.

In addition to dealing with Douglas’s failing health, she must face her new boss’s history of sexual abuse, and her college’s drive to suppress what she discovers.

The author says that the book’s title was derived from two places.

“It is the name of one of the characters [Grace, an attorney] and it represents the theological concept of grace, which is unmerited favor from God.

“As an Episcopal priest, Douglas works with Grace for civil rights, helping to change things, hopefully in a better direction,” says Allen.

“The memories of her always stay with him as he works through a lot of other things in his life,” Allen says in a phone interview from her home in Wyndmoor, Springfield Township, Montgomery County.

“Catherine has childhood memories that are difficult,” Allen continues. In the novel, we learn that Catherine’s mother was an alcoholic and her parents had a loveless marriage.

“Visiting her father has her rethinking some of her memories. She begins to understand herself more, and she is better able to face the difficulties at the college as she becomes more aware of the past.”

Allen says “Grace” is not autobiographical, but 30 years of teaching and working in academia has given her the ability to write a novel placed in a college setting. Allen was Director of Academic Advising at Moravian University from 2017 to 2019, a role that included helping students make decisions about their majors.

She started the book in 2009 while working full-time, getting up early in the morning to write, and using vacation time and weekends. She completed the first draft in 2015 and finished the manuscript in 2020 while writing her second novel. She found it useful to revisit “Grace” with a fresh viewpoint.

Her second novel, as yet untitled, is a prequel to “Grace.” In it, Grace fights for civil rights cases in 1968 and gender discrimination cases in 1974. The years were turning points in United States’ history. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. By 1974, 34 states had passed the Equal Rights Amendment.

Allen visited Atlanta, Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma for research. All four cities were crucial in the history of civil rights. She also visited Bell Harbor, near Acadia National Park, Me., to determine how it might have looked in 1968.

“I found that there was very little fiction about sexual harassment,” says Allen.

After the #MeToo movement, it might be deduced that sexual harassment has decreased in the workplace. However, Allen says it has reached epidemic proportions on college campuses and in the military.

“Things need to change,” she says. “People still have to go through a chain of command, but often the assault has come from a superior or supervisor. They have a power relationship with the victim. We need systems in place, and leadership that makes sure this doesn’t happen.”

Allen grew up in Ocean City, N. J. “I got to go to the beach all the time and I always had a summer job.”

Allen received a BA in English from Bucknell University, a master’s in English from Duquesne University and a PhD in English from New York University.

In addition to her career as an administrator, Allen is an adjunct professor, teaching courses in writing and surveys of literature.

“Literary Scene” is a column about authors, books and publishing. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com