A new book of personal stories and photos about the impacts of Tropical Storm Irene will be available soon in independent bookstores across Vermont.
When the River Rose: Stories of a Vermont Town's Flood, Recovery, and Rebirth (Children's Literacy Foundation, $20, www.whentheriverrose.com) is a collection of first-person accounts of survival and hope from Waterbury, a town hit by catastrophic flooding last Aug. 28.
In the book, local residents describe harrowing escapes, heartbreaking loss, countless acts of kindness, and unexpected opportunities that have following the raging floodwaters.
“These are ultimately inspiring stories about how neighbors and total strangers threw themselves into the task of saving their community,” says David Goodman, a local journalist and a New York Times bestselling author, who was part of a team who visited schools and homes to solicit flood stories from community members.
“Vermonters - and the residents of Waterbury - showed the country that when people work hard together for a common good, they can accomplish miracles,” Goodman says.
Gordon Miller, a Waterbury resident and photographer for the Waterbury Record, contributed the photos. Peter Holm of Sterling Hill Productions, also a local resident and business owner, designed the book. Nancy Daigle, librarian at Thatcher Brook Primary School, and Matt Bushlow and Duncan McDougall of the Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF) helped coordinate and produce the title.
All proceeds from its sales will benefit the nonprofit program ReBuild Waterbury, which is helping individuals and families in the Waterbury area who are in need of assistance to rebuild their homes after Tropical Storm Irene. ReBuild Waterbury is a program of the nonprofit organization.
When the River Rose will be available soon at Everyone's Books in Brattleboro and other Vermont independent bookstores.
CLiF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture a love of reading and writing among children throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. Since 1998, CLiF has served more than 125,000 children in almost 400 communities across every region of the Twin States.