Sarah a Younger

Cry, Whippoorwill Sarah a Younger

"What's a vacation?" Sally wondered. In 1900, Florida and the rest of the South were 35 years beyond the Civil War and recovering from Reconstruction. The "land of flowers" had been discovered by wealthy people in northern states as a place of opportunity to capitalize on an undeveloped tropical paradise. Henry Flagler was among many who saw an opportunity to make money on those who wanted to escape winter and the impoverished Floridians who were anxious to sell. The tumultuous decades between 1900 and 1920 jolt Sally, Lani, and their families. They are hard-working people ranching in a land that tests their patience with animals, insects, weather, and devilish folks. They are resilient. When ex-slave Hardy enters the picture, tribulations become bearable with his sense of humor. Sally is attracted to his personality as she feels her humor has become hardened. Sarah is faced with a dilemma as her husband changes gradually into someone she doesn't recognize. World War I shakes America to the core, including Sarah's family, followed closely by the Spanish Flu Epidemic. It is a time of upheaval, great change, and perhaps, renewal.