Along the Red Dirt Road

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ALONG THE RED DIRT ROAD
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ISBN: eBOOK > 978-1-7348280-1-6.
ISBN: PAPERBACK > 978-1-7348280-0-9

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GENRE.

Along the Red Dirt Road is a blend of historical fiction, women's fiction, modern fiction, mystery/thriller/crime fiction, biographical fiction, family saga, black history, southern history, Appalachian history, classic literary fiction, young adult fiction, and a bluegrassy touch of mainstream fiction.
Three Roads Out adds modern fiction and Jewish historical fiction to the mix.
Along the Red Dirt Road and Three Roads Out (the sequel) share an atmosphere of love and thoughtfulness, but neither is a romance novel.

AUDIENCE.

Along the Red Dirt Road is well-received by readers of all circumstances in the USA, Canada and the U.K. - including those in the historical, language arts, and social science communities.
Along the Red Dirt Road is especially popular with baby boomer women and with socially conscious men and women of all ages. This is a highly appropriate read to share with younger readers down to age 13.
Contains some colorful language and non-gratuitous violence, but no vulgarity, graphic violence, or sexual content.

SYNOPSIS.

Along the Red Dirt Road is timely, topical, and authentic - culturally, historically, geographically, linguistically. The roots of this tale run wide and deep (see 'themes' and 'settings' sections below).
Expect an entertaining, uplifting story packed with twists, turns, joy, sadness, and fascinating characters - plus subtle sub-plots for readers with hungry imaginations.
This is a story about truth, perseverance, and friendship. The main plot revolves around scandals kept secret in Hillview since the Civil War, and how a twelve year old girl and her cadre of allies brought truth to light - which ultimately put some in the Shenandoah Valley on a radically different course. The friendship that develops between two neighboring families (one black and one white) is one of several powerful forces that drive this story.
The main protagonist ~ As a 12 year old girl, she is known as Annie Young. Later in life, Annie emerges as Anna Ruth, the enigmatic grandmother of Dr. KT Winslow (the main protagonist in the sequel, Three Roads Out).
It is the courage, selflessness, and decency of Annie, her family, and her friends that give this tale the charm and authentic sweetness that so many readers adore.

LITERARY FEATURES.

Along the Red Dirt Road has a distinctive pay-it-forward flavor and is told as a flashback from current times.
This story has deep roots in Civil War times, yet most of the story unfolds during the Great Depression. Expect tale to be told in language that speaks to the time and place.
This book has a prologue and epilogue. Be sure to read them both, as they are essential to the tale.
The pace - The first chapters have been widely praised for attention to character development. Most readers relish these chapters (and the slower pace), yet some (mostly men and binge readers) want to cut right to the chase. If you are among the latter, hang on. You will be rewarded!
Bridging divisiveness ~ This book has a gentle way of cultivating common ground that exists on societal issues of our time, including those some would ban (see 'themes & topics' and 'cultural references' sections below). When people smile and feel less divided, I do too!

BACK STORY.
It is 1933, and a pandemic of homelessness, joblessness, and financial ruin grip the nation. Wind, drought, and despair ravage the central plains, and an ambitious, new president takes office. Under such circumstances, twelve year old Annie, her parents, and a terrier named Bitsy abandon the Oklahoma Dust Bowl for a fresh start in the Shenandoah Valley.

Annie is soon befriended by a young soldier + an African American boy + a grand old lady marked by scandal. All are hostage to the same horrendous secret that locals have concealed since Civil War times. Scandal, old prejudices, and cover ups have long poisoned Hillview. It is time for truth to come forth - to empower Annie's kindred spirits, her descendants, and all who may be touched by this tale.

THEMES & TOPICS.
Alalia syllabaris (stammering). American Civil War. Army of Northern Virginia. Authenticity. Boy soldiers. Bullying. Confederacy. Corruption. Courage. Decency. Dust Bowl. Elitism. Fear. Feeble Mindedness. Friendship. Generosity. Great Depression. Home Guard. Homicide. Honesty. Hope. Immunization. Inheritance. Interracial Friendship. Interracial Love story, Jim Crow, Joy. Justice. Juvenile Conscription. Isolation. Lost Cause. Materialism. Medical Care. Mental Heath/Institutions. Mortality. Mystery. Old Guard. Old South. Peer pressure. Perseverance. Personal empowerment (especially women, teens, minorities). POWs. Pregnancy. Quakers. Race & Gender Equality. Racism. Rebel Cause. Rural Medicine. Rule of Law. Scandal. Secrecy. Segregation. Slavery. Social Empowerment. Sundown Town. Tuberculosis (consumption). Tragedy. Truth. Whites Only. Underground Railroad. Union (Federal) Army, Upward Mobility.

MAIN SETTINGS.
Shenandoah Valley Hillview (fictional town), public library, apple trees & orchards, textile mills + Oklahoma Dust Bowl, Young family homeplace (fictional).

SECONDARY SETTINGS.
Delaware Fort Delaware. Maryland Potomac River, Sharpsburg/Antietam. North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains, Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina, Leaksville. Pennsylvania Gettysburg, Philadelphia. South Carolina Fort Sumter. Virginia Marye's Heights, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Potomac River, Rappahannock River, Shenandoah Valley, Winchester. Washington, DC Old Capitol Prison. West Virginia Allegheny mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, Charles Town (Claymont), Martinsburg, Potomac River, Shenandoah Valley.

GEOGRAPHIC, CULTURAL, HISTORICAL REFERENCES.
African Violets, Abraham Lincoln, American Beauty (rose), American Chestnut, Army of Northern Virginia, Automobiles (Model T Ford, 1924 REO Speed Wagon truck, 1930 Dodge Straight Six Sedan, 1933 Desoto SCS Roadster, 1933 Buick Fifty-Seven Sedan), Bing Crosby, Blackberries, Carole Lombard, Colored People, Emancipation Proclamation, Encyclopedia Britannica, Federal Territory, Foreclosures, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Fred Foard Papers (UNC), General George Washington, General Jubal Early, General Robert E. Lee, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Hospitals, Japan (Okinawa), Methodist Church, Morgan Horses, Presbyterian Church, Rebel Armies. Revolutionary War, Studies of the Supernatural, Sympathizers (Confederate and Union), Union (Federal) Army, United States Capitol, Whortleberries, Wild Apple Butter (euphemism for fresh cow manure), Wirehair Fox Terrier, WW2.

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Peace, love, and good reading,
Jane Yearout, author