5. In the United States, more women than men earn college degrees. As with Sophia, today's woman may marry a man who has less formal education than she does. What challenges will this disparity bring to the relationship?

6. Will tells Sophia to "ignore the rushing waters." What rushing waters in your life must you ignore?

7. Five of the people involved in the trial of Standing Bear were connected to one church. What is the role of the church in government policies and social justice issues?

8. When Sophia sees a problem, she charges in, saying, "Don't worry, G.o.d! I'll fix this!" When Will sees a problem, unless it is his area of expertise, he waits to see what G.o.d will do. Who is right? Where are you on this spectrum?.

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

Standing Bear's speeches are the only doc.u.mentation of the removal by a member of the Ponca tribe. The lack of other eyewitness accounts is testimony to the depth of tragedy this eviction represents. In the struggle for survival, stories were one of their many losses. Undoubtedly I have made errors in recounting the Poncas' story; please accept my apology.

Government employees, on the other hand, left a substantial paper trail. Whenever possible their words were used in dialogue. I hope you find them offensive. There is no evidence that agent James Lawrence imbibed, only the question of how he coped.

The character of Sophia originated from the discovery that a Russian woman taught at a Ponca school. A woman with the same name, Eugenie Nicolas, taught French at Va.s.sar. Was this the same person?

Will is a tribute to all those unnamed heroes in every ministry who make sure the lights turn on, the furnace heats, and the projector shows the next song. We never spare a thought for them until something breaks.

Through Rushing Water is a work of fiction. If you'd like to know more, I recommend "I Am a Man": Standing Bear's Journey for Justice by Joe Starita and Unspeakable Sadness by David Wishart.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

For research help, I'm grateful to Stanford Taylor of the Ponca Museum, Rebecca White, chairwoman of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, Deacon Ellen Ross of Trinity Church, Beverly Otis, president of the Trinity Historical Society, DeVon Coble of Brownell-Talbott School, and Larisa Treskunova, formerly of Russia. Nebraska Novelists went above and beyond for this story, especially Katherine Barnett on the Russian Orthodox Church, Angela Kroeger on coinage, and Jeanne Reames on Native American culture. Any errors are my own.

A standing ovation to Amanda Bostic and the Thomas Nelson team for their expertise and commitment to quality. It's an honor to work with you.

Heartfelt thanks to agent Sandra Bishop for her wise guidance through the publishing maze.

Many thanks to my family, especially Mom for visits to the Douglas County Historical Society and the Smithsonian Anthropological Archives, and George for chauffeuring me around the gorgeous homeland of the Ponca tribe.

And thank you to my readers-your encouragement means more than you'll ever know. I'd love to connect with you through my website, www.CatherineRichmond.com, or Facebook's Fans of Catherine Richmond page, or by mail at Thomas Nelson, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214, Attn: Author Mail. Blessings on your mission!.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Catherine Richmond was focused on her career as an occupational therapist until a special song planted a story idea in her mind. That idea would ultimately become Spring for Susannah, her first novel. She is also a founder and moderator of Nebraska Novelists critique group and lives in Nebraska with her husband.

ALSO BY.

CATHERINE RICHMOND.

SPRING FOR SUSANNAH.