Like Dust, I Rise received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Ginny Rorby.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Like Dust, I Rise; December 9, 2021
What’s the book’s first line?
Last night was so hot that, in spite of the stench from the stockyards, I left my window open.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Little House on the Prairie meets the Four Winds in this novel of hope and heroism, set in Texas during one of America’s worst natural disasters—the Dust Bowl.
Inspired by Amelia Earhart’s heroics, young Winona ‘Nona’ Williams tenaciously clings to the desire to become a pilot even after her father, with dreams of his own, dismisses the idea. When he quits his job in the Chicago stockyards to join other homesteaders settling the Great Plains, Nona finds herself torn between supporting her father’s vision for their future and her mother’s struggle to adjust to life on a desolate prairie.
Initially, things look up for the family as they settle into life in Dalhart, Texas. The wheat boom is in full swing, and it appears her father’s dream of providing his family with a home of their own is coming true. Too soon the effects of the depression impact her family, then the rains stop. Before long, Dalhart is the epicenter of the Dust Bowl.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I wanted to learn more about the Dust Bowl era after watching the Ken Burns documentary. I then, read Timothy Egan’s The Worst Hard Time Ever, and was hooked. My parents grew in the mid-west which means I’m a degree of separation from that era.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
The Dust Bowl is still considered the worst weather catastrophe in modern history. So far. We are on a precipice with climate change. To ignore disasters of the past is to miss planning as best we can for the future.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character?
Nona, as my father used to say, has moxie. She’s a down-to-earth dreamer. Through everything that befalls the family, she perseveres.
Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The daughter I wish I had.