ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to thank my Nebraska relatives, Bud and Ann Sidles, for their encouragement and blessing. To my mother, Stark Ward, for sharing her stories and reading mine. To my father, Michael Ward, for his generosity in allowing me to explore this delicate material. Thanks to Kevin Canty, Brettne Bloom, and Sims McCormick for their careful reading and advice. To all the MFA students and professors at the University of Montana who suffered through this manuscript in the early stages. To Will McCormick for his astute reading, generosity, candor, and support.

To those who aided my research: Chad Wall at the Nebraska State Historical Society, Mark Nappelio and Ann Sidles, who dropped everything each time I called.

To Barbara Ganley at Middlebury College who encouraged me to write in the first place.

To Michael Curtis who discovered my stories and made them shine. To the late Michael Kelly, an inspiring presence, who took the time to offer encouragement when it was needed most.

To my agent Rob McQuilkin who went far beyond the call of duty and believed in me from the very beginning.

And a special thanks to my editor, George Hodgman, at Henry Holt for understanding what I was trying to accomplish and without whose brilliant work and tireless dedication, this book would not have been possible.