Stolen Fields : A Story of Eminent Domain and the Death of the American Dream

The story traces the history of the Cole family from the time of their arrival in Pittsburgh in 1814 through the loss of their prosperous farm over 100 years later through eminent domain. The authors life, the lives of her mother's generation, and of others in her own generation are intertwined, tracing the aftereffects of the event on the subsequent generations. Some flourished, others ended in despair. The issue of sexual abuse within the family emerges. While most family members develop strength and courage, flaws become magnified in others, resulting in cruelty and selfishness.

The author weaves the riveting story of growing up as a descendant of the strong-willed and colorsul Cole family, whose historic loss of their prosperous farm on Neville Island in Pittsburgh at the time of WWI through eminent domain, has shadowed the lives of her mother's generation as well as her own. The island was the market basket of Pittsburgh and produced the best asparagus on the East Coast. The loss of the Cole farm grew other things as well: hatred, bitterness, greed and lust. It is the story of the past but swells on the journey toward, and triumph of, the future. The story traces the history of the Cole family from the time of their arrival in Pittsburgh in 1814. The author then focuses on her own life with candor and humor. Intertwined are cameos of her grandparants, and her mother's siblings and their children, wherein the author traces not only family traits, but the possible dark t wists and turns of the human soul when its pathway is diverted due to the devastating effects of loss when the family becomes the victim of eminent domain. The issue of sexual abuse within the family emerges. While most family members develop strength and courage, flaws become magnified in others, resulting in cruelty, selfishness and sexual exploitation toward weaker members.

SUPERANNO Tells the author's story as a descendant of the last holdouts against the government's seizure by eminent domain of the prosperous asparagus farms on Neville Island, the market basket of Pittsburgh, at the time of WWI. The event shadowed the lives of her mother's generation and her own. The loss of the family farm grew other things as well: hatred, bitterness, greed, and lust. The story ends in hope for the future as fortunes rise. Original.