THREADS A Depression Era Tale

Review\n"Whitney's historical drama vividly captures the fears, desperation, and fortitude of a tightly knit Michigan farm family, depicted through the lives of a trio of sisters enduring the Great Depression." KIRKUS REVIEWS\n"The threads of these connections and forces will engage and enthrall readers who enjoy close inspections of childhood experiences and adult concerns, all set against the backdrop of the Depression's overlay of angst and threat." MIDWEST BOOK REVIEWS\n"An Immersive, Irresistible Midwestern Tale." BOOKTRIB\n"Enough mystery and romance to keep the adult reader interested . . ..this book would appeal to young readers as well." HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY\n'Fast-paced and incredibly well-written, this is a story that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat and wanting more." READERS FAVORITE\nThree sisters living on a Midwestern farm in 1934 narrate their stories of hardship, crime, fantasy, and love. Each voice is distintive and conveys its own interpretation of shared events: the appearance of a sinister revivalist preacher, hunger-driven train riders, and the backwoods discovery of a dead baby. Seven-year-old Nellie see the world through magical eyes with visions of local Indians, sky dancers, and a boy from outer space. Eleven-year-old Irene is arrogant, over-confident, and judgmental to a fault. Flora, at seventeen, wants nothing more that to find a husband, but a vicious rumor quashes her hops. Through their voices we view their worlds and those of Ma and Pa, whose quiet resilience reveals the ongoing struggle to survive.\nFrom the Author\nI grew up on a Michigan farm and often heard stories from my mother, aunts, and grandparents of the troubling years during the Great Depression. While farmers were better positioned than many, they still faced losing their farms because they couldn't meet the mortgage or tax payments. My maternal grandmother told me that their family was "lucky" because they only went hungry for one year. I decided to use this backdrop for the setting of THREADS. Developing the personalities of the three sisters was fun and they emerged as uniquely different. Using the authentic dialect was much more difficult and resulted in my creating spreadsheets for each character and which words and phrases each used. In the end I was glad that I put in the extra effort. Imagine reading Huckleberry Finn without the dialect. I also wanted a feel-good ending without sugar-coating the hard times that most Americans faced during that era.\nFrom the Back Cover\nThree sisters living on a Midwestern farm in 1934 narrate their stories of hardship, crime, fantasy, and love. Each voice is distinctive and conveys its own interpretation of shared events: the appearance of a sinister revivalist preacher; hunger-driven train riders; and the backwoods discovery of a dead baby. Seven-year-old Nellie sees the world through magical eyes with visions of local Indians, sky dancers, and a boy from outer space. Eleven-year-old Irene is arrogant, over-confident, and judgmental to a fault. Flora, at seventeen, wants nothing more than to find a husband, but a vicious rumor quashes her hopes. Through their voices we view their world and those of Ma and Pa, whose quiet resilience reveals the ongoing struggle to survive.