From an early age, Mercy witnessed violence and abuse firsthand. Born in Louisiana in 1908, she endured hardships throughout her lifetime. In Louisiana's Mercy, author M.D. Thomas, Mercy's granddaughter, narrates a triumphant tale of one particular woman's suffering and how she coped with her many challenges. It is a primitive look at the racism and abuse she endured from her husband, friends, and society.

Being severely beaten by her mate, living in a variety of towns and homes, trying to raise her own children, Thomas tells how Mercy survives.

This story contributes to understanding a different and difficult situation that many people experience who are born poor and die the same way.