Overview

The untimely death of Meryl Jean Strom's mother forced her to evolve from a thirteen year old child who never had to pick up after herself, to one expected to do chores, work as a field hand and learn how to chop and pick cotton. Soon after cancer took her mother, Meryl's alcoholic father placed her in the care of his sixty-seven year old mother, allowing him to run from his problems, as usual. Meryl was somewhat dumped on her Grandmother's front porch with only her clothes, her potential, and a list of 'nevers' that she hoped to experience never again. Belt lashings from her drunken father, forced to wear boy's shoes because of her wide feet, and never being tormented again because her dress size had never matched her chronological age-topped her list. This heartwarming saga of a child who used the haunting dreams and scars of her young past as stair steps to rise to a better future, will offer encouragement to those sharing her story. How she dealt with the actual and emotional whirlwinds in her life will inspire the many other 'Meryl's' in the world who might also have a list of nevers. Your readers will go from blotting tears, to rolling with laughter, to cheering at the courage of this over-weight teen that changed her name, because Meryl all too conveniently rhymed with barrel. After all, Jean only rhymed with lean.The whirlwind experience in chapter five taught Meryl that there were many kinds of whirlwinds. Some could refresh you and others could almost suck the life out of you. An uninvited visitor, in the person of Nate McDougal, introduced her to another side of humanity that she had never known existed. Her Grandmother's honest approach provided closure to her many previously ignored questions and to those questions she hadn't before known to ask.Readers of any age, gender or background will find something to identify and reminisce about in Watch for the Whirlwinds. Encounters with guardian angels, a perverted chicken molester, a stinging worm and Meryl's unlikely rescuer, in addition to the mysterious death of Nate McDougal, will keep readers turning pages. The surprising revelation to Meryl's nightmares, will present your readers with a book that will remain in their memories, long after they have read the last page.

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9781733013420

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Reviews

Watch for the Whirlwinds, covers the full range of the human condition and has something for everyone. Although much of the storyline takes place in a bygone era, I was able to instantly relate to many of the events Barton includes in this extended coming-of-age saga in a surprisingly personal and intimate manner.There were times I laughed out loud, and there were times I felt my eyes getting misty. There were times I wanted to reach into the book and slap one of the characters soundly across the face, and there were times when I wanted to throw the book across the room. In short, when I finished the paperback late on a Friday night, I felt as though I had been on an exhilarating yet exhausting roller-coaster ride; Barton had managed to elicit the full spectrum of possible emotional reactions. Barton strikes a chord that will resonate with anyone who has a heart and feels for others. Needless to say, I recommend it highly. Aaron Hughey WKU This story has a strange twist that fools both the community and the reader who has to satisfy his curiosity by reading the book. There are also complications and revelations that follow startling the community, and surprising the reader. The plot and the characters depicted are interesting. But the real backbone of Watch for the Whirlwinds is an honesty and integrity in telling about a young girl whom the author makes no attempt to glamorize, but one who perseveres and arrives with a strong character -- one that probably will sustain her for the rest of her life. -Gilbert Ennis

Author Information

Noel Barton spent her teen years in the Bootheel of Missouri but now resides in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Being a devout Christian, she credits God for her writing ability. Her fictional stories in the Whirlwind Series, set in the Bootheel of Missouri in the 50's and 60's, are based on facts and occurrences that can easily be related to life and events of today. Noel's books all have a common thread-a love story, a mystery, and many moral and spiritual messages. Readers can't help but become a part of her stories while remembering the 'whirlwinds' of their own lives. We all have whirlwinds. Some refresh us while others suck the life out of us. Noel's stories and characters will live in your heart and mind, long after you've read the last page and leave you longing for her next book.

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