'Gone With the Wind' prequel to be published

Decades after the publication of "Gone With the Wind," Mammy is finally getting a backstory, The Associated Press reports. Simon & Schuster imprint Atria announced yesterday that it will publish Donald McCaig's "Ruth's Journey" in October. A prequel to Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel, the book was authorized by Mitchell's estate. McCaig previously wrote a spinoff focused on Rhett Butler, "Rhett's People." "Ruth's Journey" will track Scarlett O'Hara's servant's life from her arrival in Georgia in the early 19th century. In 1939, Mammy was immortalized on film by Hattie McDaniel, left, who became the first black performer to win an Academy Award.