Joann Levy, Author
University Press of Colorado   $24.95
Hard Cover, 280 pgs

The inspiring story of reluctant forty-niner Sarah Daniels, timid mother of four who, fearful of losing her westering husband, experiences all the desperation and danger, exhilaration and triumph of the nation's epic adventure. On the perilous journey west--a 2,000-mile gauntlet of cholera, insanity, and deadly accident--Sarah discovers the courage and fortitude necessary to save her family on the terrifying 40-Mile Desert, where gold is forgotten in a struggle to stay alive.

In California, penniless and confronting the hard reality of survival on the frontier, Sarah is determined to earn the money to get her children safely back to Illinois. She opens her Sacramento restaurant with the help of songwriter-auctioneer Stephen Massett, one of several historical figures populating the story. When the devastating flood of 1850 destroys her business, Sarah moves to Nevada City, only to see it ravaged by fire the following year. In devoting herself to its renewal, Sarah gradually realizes that this rough little town, and not distant Illinois, is home.