Book excerpt: Photographer Thomson, novelist and journalist Jake Macdonald, and freelance writer Shirley Sandrel tell the story in color photographs and text of the great Manitoba flood of 1997, and the Manitobans and volunteers from across Canada who exhibited tremendous courage, perseverance, and humor in the face of impending disaster. They document how people of all ages sandbagged, served up good cheer and three meals a day, stayed behind to safeguard their dikes, and maintained their dignity while mourning the loss of flood-damaged property and livelihoods.