WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW

It’s 1935, and on their farm in the Oklahoma panhandle, the Stanton family is suffering amid drought and severe, ongoing dust storms.

Twins Howe and Joanna, formerly close, have drifted apart. Howe dreams of poetry: Inspired by a caring schoolteacher, he wants to build a life far away. But Daddy’s always planned to pass the farm down to his boys—Howe and older brother Lou. Joanna, who’s considered fragile due to her scoliosis, adores farm life, but she’s forbidden to participate in the ways she’d like. When their father leaves for California to find work, the twins take new paths. In alternating first-person points of view, Howe and Joanna narrate their family’s difficult year. Joanna finds her calling in assisting the visiting Red Cross nurses, who are in town to help with a measles epidemic and dust-related health issues. One nurse, who also has scoliosis, provides Joanna with an example of living a useful, vital life as a disabled adult. Howe dives into his writing and is inspired by a man from the government’s Soil Erosion Service who brings hope for the rebirth of their community’s natural landscape. The historical milieu is extremely well drawn, with instances of hardship and ingenuity that will intrigue fans of survival stories. Colman’s dedication to authenticity and rich detail creates a compelling world. Main characters are cued white.

An immersive look at resiliency during trying times.