Along the Red Dirt Road

SYNOPSIS. The year is 1933. As the Great Depression wreaks havoc on the great plains, Dr. Carter Young, Ellen Young, and their twelve year old daughter Annie abandon the Oklahoma Dust Bowl for a fresh start in the Shenandoah Valley. Their new community harbors old wounds from the Civil War and strange undercurrents that defy reason or virtue. Annie is befriended by a mysterious boy soldier from the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, an African American family (the Hills), and a grand old lady marked by scandal. All are hostage to the same horrendous secret locals have buried since Civil War times - a secret that ultimately draws Annie to its epicenter. Along the Red Dirt Road is a tale of deeply personal black and white history during the Great Depression - and how courage, perseverance, decency, friendship, and truth brought a closely held secret to light. It is about a reveal that helped to liberate a small southern town so many years ago. Along the Red Dirt Road is told as a flashback from around 2018. Expect an uplifting story packed with twists, turns, fascinating characters, and many emotions - plus a nice helping of hints and sub-plots for readers with hungry imaginations. MAIN SETTINGS. Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina. Pennsylvania, Maryland, Oklahoma, Washington, D.C. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. Along the Red Dirt Road meets/exceeds key A.L.A. guidelines for book selection. SPECIFIC GUIDELINES related to (a) community needs, (b) suitability of subject/style for intended audience, (c) importance to times, (d) representation of important movements/genre/trends, and (e) authenticity of history/social setting ARE ADDRESSED BELOW (genre, audience, themes/social relevance). GENRE. Good books don't always fit neatly into one category. Along the Red Dirt Road features key elements of Historical Fiction, Mystery Fiction, Mainstream Fiction, Family Saga, Southern History, Black History, and Women's Fiction - plus some features of Classic Literary Fiction and Young Adult Fiction. Three Roads Out (the sequel) also features key elements of Modern Fiction and Jewish History. Neither are romance novels. AUDIENCE. This book contains contains mildly colorful language and non-gratuitous violence, but no vulgarity or sexual content. The result is a wonderfully authentic and timely tale that speaks directly to people of many cultures and circumstances, all genders. Age appropriate for most readers over 12 years of age. Reading level – grade 5. Most popular with baby boomers (m/f), mature teens, educators, history buffs, and socially conscious women (all ages). THEMES/SOCIAL RELEVANCE. Themes and topics of special importance to this story are shown here in alphabetical order. Alalia syllabaris (stammering), authenticity, boy soldiers, bullying, the Civil War, corruption, courage, decency, the Dust Bowl, elitism, fear, feeble mindedness, friendship, generosity, the Great Depression, the Home Guard, homicide, honesty, hope, immunization, interracial friendship, Jim Crow, joy, justice, juvenile conscription, isolation. Lost Cause, materialism, mental institutions, mortality, mystery, Old Guard, peer pressure, perseverance, personal/social empowerment, POWs, Quakers, race & gender equality, racism, rural medicine, rule of law, scandal, secrecy, segregation, slavery, sundown town, tuberculosis (consumption), tragedy, truth, underground railroad, upward mobility. Although many such issues remain unresolved, understanding is the key to personal and social growth. FREE AUTHOR SESSIONS FOR BOOK CLUBS/LIBRARIES: Virtual (worldwide). In-person (Kansas City area).