The Longest Road

By: Jeanne Williams

Narrated by: Patty Duke

For Laurie Field, life is a series of hellos and good-byes, of attachments cut short by the struggle for survival in America's Dust Bowl. When a violent dust storm leaves their mother dead and the family farm in ruins, Laurie and her brother help their father load up the flivver and leave Kansas, aiming for a better life. At the side of the road, the Fields meet handsome wayfarer Johnny Morrigan. Although he is with them for only a short time, Johnny makes a painful journey easier with his gentle manner and songs of struggle and hope written by Woody Guthrie and other American greats.

Her father travels to California in search of work, leaving Laurie and her brother in the care of their autocratic grandfather. Anxious to see her family reunited, Laurie heads for California. Disguised as a boy, she and her brother hop the rails and begin a long journey into happiness, disappointment and danger - when wealthy oilman W. S. Redwine takes an interest in Laurie. Laurie's heart belongs to Johnny, wherever he may be, but Redwine will go to any lengths to make a place in her life. Laurie is equally determined to find a new home with her family, and Redwine is only one of the many obstacles she must overcome in this compelling story of one courageous and passionate woman.

©1993 Jeanne Williams (P)2005 Books in Motion

Critic reviews

"Moving, accurate picture of Dust Bowl America...resonates with Woody Guthrie's songs and has a good, strong heart." (San Jose Mercury News)
"Gritty details and keen social observations...Williams' colorful story keeps the reader engaged." (Publishers Weekly)