Book excerpt: In this award-winning debut novel, we explore themes of feminine and age-related empowerment. Karen Grace, a recently fired workaholic seeks meaning and purpose after suffering devastating loss at age fifty. While visiting her Midwestern hometown after many years, Karen Grace risks a few extra days away from the office, to hang out with family and childhood friends. She visits the crumbling homesteads of her prairie ancestors, and rediscovers their immigrant dreams and sacrifices. As a consequence of leaving the office, Karen is fired. Now she's fifteen hundred miles from home, just one more middle-aged worker out of a job in a tough economy. To make matters worse, her husband has just left her for his pregnant girlfriend. At a crossroads, Karen must find the courage to change. Needing time to think, she agrees to take an elderly neighbor on one last road trip, but on a deserted highway in Wyoming, Karen is forced to make a lethal and life-changing decision. Scroll up and buy to join her adventure today.