A Tennessee Girl Goes to Arizona: A Story of Love, Loss, Faith, and Southern Hospitality in the Valley of the Sun Paperback – November 13, 2024

A young woman travels from Tennessee arriving in the Arizona territory in the early 1900s. Louise and her family start life over seeking a respite from tuberculosis in the dry, desert climate, but their first impression of the oppressive heat is that they have landed in hell!Taken from the first-person accounts found in her extensive collection of diaries, Louise Gass Geare’s life is filled with stories of great love and debilitating loss. Having found the diaries in a back closet, Louise’ granddaughter uses them to tell the story of how, at 37, Louise lost her beloved husband, the father of her seven children and must build a new life as a single mother in the midst of the depression with few resources. Armed with only six years of education, she faces all her responsibilities inspired by her faith and the determination to nurture her children and 50 grandchildren to adulthood.The backdrop is the growing desert city of Phoenix in the 20th century from 1905 to 1964 and includes a series of governors, senators and business leaders who became her friends and colleagues.It’s a book that will intrigue anyone interested in family life and government work life in the 20th century, a historical perspective of migration from the South to the West and one woman’s struggle to live a life of faith and perseverance to overcome fear. Read more