The initial inspiration for this novel was a tiny single-paragraph story in the Nation section of the New York Times I read sometime around 2001 and no longer have, so, first of all, thank you anonymous New York Times reporter. Because I fiddled and drafted and fiddled with this book over the course of a decade, there have been numerous readers and helpful advisors, so please forgive me in advance if I leave any of you out. My heart- and head-felt thanks goes to: Avi Neurohr, for that great, tough read; Nancy Dessomes; Matthew Miller; Dr. Joseph Thomas; Patty Pace; Carol Houke-Smith; David Starnes; Dennis Thompson; Imad Rahman; Tamara Guiardo; Jack Gantos; Bronwen Hruska; Juliette Grames; the inimitable Aileen Lujo; Justin Hargett; my beloved, brilliant, and extraordinarily patient editor Mark Doten; Steve Pett; Deb Marquart; Val Helmund; Dennis Thompson; the ever remarkable Scott Yarbrough; Charlie Kostelnick; Ben Percy, all of my other helpful and friendly colleagues at Iowa State University; my sisters Amy, Karen, Beth, and Lisa, and sisters-in-law Ann Marie and Gina Marie, from whom I stole girlishness shamelessly; my brother Patrick Zimmerman for his superb reading skills and continual encouragement; my large and boisterous family-at-large, from Amalfitanos to Zimmermans and all the marriage-made surnames in between; and of course, Tina, child whisperer, Confederate-in-arms, and delight of my life.