Prairie Reunion: A Miraculous, Healing Journey Into a Family's Tragic History

Scot (Notes from Nepal) evokes a vivid sense of place in this haunting memoir set on the Iowa prairie. She returned to her childhood home, located in the Presbyterian farming community of Scotch Grove, to understand her mother better. When Scot was a baby and her brother only two, her father deserted his wife for another woman after he had mortgaged her farm and left her saddled with debt, committing suicide a few years later. An old trunk filled with family pictures, letters and other memorabilia left to her by her mother stimulated the author to investigate the reasons for her mother's regard for her father and her lack of bitterness while Scot was growing up. Through visits to family members and research into the area's history, she came away with a better understanding of her father's good qualities and his inability to live up to his own expectations, as well as a respect for her mother's forgiveness and enduring love. 40,000 first printing; author tour. (Sept.)