Like Dust, I Rise

"Like Dust, I Rise is an uplifting tale that artfully pulls you into the slipstream of a scrappy girl who defies the ravages of the Dustbowl and The Great Depression to achieve her goal of becoming a pilot." –Bruce Lewis, author of Bloody Paws

Inspired by Amelia Earhart's heroic flights, 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.

Like Dust, I Rise transforms poverty into pride and reflects the heroism of endurance.

Ginny Rorby is the author six MG/YA novels: How to Speak Dolphin, Lost in the River of Grass, 2013 winner of the Sunshine State Young Readers Award, Hurt Go Happy, 2008 winner of the ALA's Schneider Family Book Award, The Outside of a Horse, Dolphin Sky, and Freeing Finch, the inspiring story of a transgender girl and a stray dog who overcome adversity to find love, home, and a place to belong.