The Greatest Generation, by Tom Brokaw (Random House, 1998)
World War II: The Axis Assault, 1939–1942, by Douglas Brinkley (Times Books, Henry Holt & Co., 2003)
World War II: The Allied Counteroffensive, 1942–1945, by Douglas Brinkley (Times Books, Henry Holt & Co., 2003)
Videos
America Goes to War: The Home Front WWII, by Eric Sevareid (PBS Anthony Potter Productions, 1990)
Back Then: The Miracle of Hickory, by Richard Eller (S. L. Charter Communications, 1997)
The Greatest Generation, by Tom Brokaw (NBC News, New Video Group, 1999)
A Paralyzing Fear: The Story of Polio in America, by Nina Gilden Seavey (Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1998)
Fiction
Autumn Street, by Lois Lowry (Houghton Mifflin, 1980)
Close to Home, by Lydia Weaver (Viking, 1993)
Don’t You Know There’s a War On?, by Avi (HarperCollins, 2001)
Early Sunday Morning: The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows, by Barry Denenberg (Scholastic, 2001)
Hero of Lesser Causes, by Julie Johnston (Lester Publishing, 1992)
The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559 Mirror Lake Internment Camp, by Barry Denenberg (Scholastic, 1999)
The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier, by Walter Dean Myers (Scholastic, 1999)
Lily’s Crossing, by Patricia Reilly Giff (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 1997)
My Last Days as Roy Rogers, by Pat Cunningham Devoto (Warner Books, 1999)
My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, by Mary Pope Osborne (Scholastic, 2000)
THE EXPERTS WHO HELPED ME
I discovered this story with the help of many experts and owe a great deal of credit to them. To Carolyn Yoder of Calkins Creek Books, who sent me digging for hidden history and taught me how to write about it. (I never expected to get the nurture of an editor who was so writer-friendly and professionally demanding!) To Patti Gauch for a great writing weekend that took my work to another level, and to Kent Brown and all the folks at The Highlights Foundation for providing the workshops that shaped this story. To Katya Rice, who somehow managed to reconcile Ann Fay’s voice with a copy editor’s passion for good sentence structure, and to Helen Robinson, who made Blue so beautiful. To the experts who helped me understand the effects of polio and the Miracle of Hickory story—John Myer, Shelby Duane, Daniel Moury, Eubert Sigmon, Margaret Hunt, Maria Winkler-Hyams, Inez Sigmon, Ramona Hartzler, John Nyce, and especially Ruth Morton. (Thanks to Ruth, Ramona, John Nyce, and Shelby for reading the manuscript and giving me feedback.) To senior citizens who answered my questions about life during World War II—Hal and Pauline Willis, Jack and Clara Abernethy, Clarence and Irene Lynch, and especially my parents, Wellington and Evangeline Moyer. To Larry Mosteller, who shared his expertise on antique cars, and to Kay for the books on antiques. To Debbie Richey of Sentimental Journey Antiques, for answering my nitpicky questions. To Michael Shaddix, senior librarian at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, who shared priceless photos, scrapbooks, and other artifacts, answered questions, and read pertinent parts of the manuscript. To Sydney Halma at the Catawba County Historical Association, who answered numerous questions, made precious archival materials available, and read the manuscript for accuracy. To David W. Rose, archivist for the March of Dimes, who clarified historical information for me. To Carol McCormick of the University of North Carolina Herbarium, for sharing her expertise on North Carolina plant life. To my friends at Patrick Beaver Memorial Library, Catawba County Library, Greensboro Public Library, Davidson University Library, and Tuskegee Institute. To Doris Jean and Anne for their hospitality and help with research. To my writer friends who critiqued my manuscript and held my hand during the breathless waiting—Christine Taylor-Butler, Jen Mann, Kathy Erskine, Vy Armour, and especially Marilyn Hershey, who believed in me when I needed it most. To loved ones who read the manuscript and gave me feedback—Wendy, Kathleen, Joanne, Jeannie, Jessie, Grace, Miriam, Lovena, Elma, Rick, Ruth, Kelly, Kay, and Larry. To Shirley Cunningham, the eighth-grade teacher who forecast my future as a writer, and to David Hazard, who at one of those many writer events affirmed my teacher’s predictions. And last but also first, to my husband, Chuck Hostetter, whose expertise lies in loving generously, funding my writing addiction, and listening to the many agonies involved, both mine and those of my characters.
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