HEAVEN IS A SUNSWEPT HILL

Days of violence bring into focus this warning picture of humanity taking it again and again, in a story of flood time in the lower Mississippi. The Drindles, farming the flatlands, know the dangers that face them each Spring, but their roots are deep, and they feel themselves prepared against the force of the waters. Then comes the time when the end of safety is in sight; Sam joins his neighbors in attempts to bolster the levee, but is finally forced to transfer family and stock to the waiting scow, to ride the current while it is possible, and finally to cut out for a safe harbor, with the rest of the rescued community. There's a sense of unity in danger; there's a record of courage in rescue work; there's faith and belief and courage, even in the face of government inaction. Then Spring -- and dangers are forgotten as they return.