The Trees Remember
A Trilogy of Historical Novels by Joyce L. Kieffer
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Welcome to the World of Rebecca Wagner . . .
The Trees Remember is a trilogy of historical novels about a young woman, Rebecca Wagner, in the virgin timber mountains of 1890's central Pennsylvania who aspires to become something more than a farm girl. Talent, passion, and mentorship of a Native American healer lead Rebecca to the new Johns Hopkins Training School for Nurses, and back home again to care for her neighbors and the "wood hicks" who labor in nearby lumber camps where her beloved forests are being stripped to meet the country's insatiable demand for lumber. A coming-of-age story of courage, duty, family, love and loss--with a few long-held secrets revealed along the way.
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Raised among virgin forests in the Shade Mountains near McAslisterville, Pennsylvania, Rebecca is inspired by a Native American healer who uses trees and plants as medicine. Rebecca shows early promise as a healer in her own right and makes her way to the Johns Hopkins Training School for Nurses, newly established in the growing city of Baltimore, Maryland. Back home, the burgeoning lumber business threatens both earth and man, leaving a trail of desolation in its wake. Will Rebecca's journey lead her to a new life of privilege in the thriving, bustling city--or will she return home to help heal the people and forests she loves?
1
After three tumultuous years as a student at the Johns Hopkins Training School for Nurses and a secret relationship with a dashing doctor, Rebecca Wagner returns home to her family farm to find that many things have changed. Her hometown sweetheart may have found someone new, and much of the nearby forests in the Shade Mountains have been stripped bare. Unchanged is her desire to use native plants and trees for healing as taught by her mentor, a mysterious American Indian woman who lives nearby. Facing her fears, Rebecca begins working for the town doctor to care for the hostile "wood hicks" who suffer horrific accidents and illnesses as they labor in the treacherous lumber camps. Will Rebecca choose between her hometown sweetheart and a simple country life, or the doctor she left behind in Baltimore and a life of privilege? Will the secrets she is hiding, and the ones she is yet to uncover, threaten everything she has worked to achieve?
2
Service Name
Ever since Rebecca discovers her hidden bloodline, she faces the difficult decision whether to live her life as a white woman or risk facing hostility and rejection from those she has pledged to serve as a nurse. As she continues to take care of the people of the small rural town of McAlisterville and the "wood hicks" who labor in the surrounding primitive and dangerous mountain lumber camps, she encounters threats to her livelihood and all she holds dear. However, they aren’t the only ones who try to intimidate her. Despite the dangers, Back So Straight continues to teach Rebecca the power of plants and trees to heal body, mind and spirit. Will Rebecca reveal her true heritage and succumb to the prejudice and malice of her intolerant community—or will she live a lie to protect herself and those she loves?
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