Author Description

This is a book of haunting memoir vignettes written by 97 year old Elsie Kuchera Muske, chronicling the lives of the members of her family and people in the tiny town of Wyndmere, North Dakota, in the 1920's and 30's. Her parents were the children of immigrants - Czech, German, Norwegian - who farmed the rich black loam of North and South Dakota and prospered until the Great Drought and Depression struck. These restrained and poignant vignettes, composed in clear plain style, highlight human characters of such strength, will power and generosity that they are nearly unrecognizable to us in the 21st century. The power of their devotion to work, to family loyalty -- in bounty or adversity - their humor and understatement - light these pages. The author's mother, Frances Talich Kuchera, comes alive in beauty, vivacity and unforgettable strength. The introduction and after-word to the book are written by the author's daughter, Carol Muske-Dukes, USC professor, former poet laureate of California.