ISBN #978-1-60264-069-6, softcover, $15.95; #978-1-60264-070-2, hardcover, $23.95
In 1996, during Christmas break, Seattle was hit first with an uncommon two feet of snow, then by unrelenting sleet and finally with a deluge of rain. Buses and cars slid off packed-ice and flooded roads, marinas collapsed on waterfronts, houses slid into sinkholes, one teetered on the edge of Interstate 5 and travelers were stranded everywhere. Follow the members of Tjaakje Heidema's family as they wend their way to and through the storms to have a family celebration. She deftly and sensitively brings out the inner workings of their not-always-comfortable diversity in lifestyles, their multifarious faith experiences and the interplay of their personalities and ages. In addition, she has intelligently drawn on other writings and explains: why some of the Dutch collaborated with the Nazis and why others did not, what the roots of anti-Semitism were in Europe and in Christian fundamentalism at the time of World War II, what the religious history has been in India and how the death of a parent impacts on individuals and families. Ms. Heidema writes poetically and with an abiding sense of humor about why this family comes together.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tjaakje Heidema was born in Thesinge, Netherlands in 1943. She immigrated to the United States with her family in 1948 and grew up in a Dutch farming community in the Gallatin Valley of Montana. She graduated with a Master's Degree in Nursing from Colorado University and worked as a nurse educator until 1987 when she retired with a disability. She has Alpha-1 Deficiency, a rare genetic condition, which has led to diminished lung capacity. She has lived with her partner, Sophia Kellis, for twenty-six years and with her cat, Figgy, for twenty-one years. The three currently reside in Mount Vernon, Washington.
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