The River Rose

The Mississippi Flood of 1927 unleashed a deluge that forever altered the lives of countless families. Among them, the Paynes, hardworking sharecroppers, and Governor Leroy Percy, a man of immense influence. As the waters surged, their paths converged in a battle against nature's fury and the perennial challenges of fatherhood. At the helm of the Payne family, Arthur "AD" Payne toils as both a sharecropper and muleskinner for Governor Percy, navigating a complex web of allegiances. Their sons, William and Orange 'O', grapple with their own reckonings amidst the rising waters. With over 700,000 displaced, and a million acres submerged beneath ten feet of unforgiving floodwaters, the struggle for survival becomes a beacon for resilience, revealing the true measure of a family's strength. In this meticulously researched and emotionally resonant novella, the specter of disaster looms large, casting shadows that reveal the unbreakable bonds of kinship and the unconquerable human spirit.