Stars of Alabama

May 6, 2019
Set during the Dust Bowl, this pleasing, ambitious epic from Dietrich (Sean of the South) brings together unlikely allies all escaping dire situations. In rural Alabama, 15-year-old Marigold is arrested for stealing food she was hoping to feed Maggie, her infant daughter that she left in the woods while robbing the general store. While laying shingles, migrant workers Paul and Vern discover the abandoned girl, who they take under their care. Meanwhile, in a parallel plot, a revivalist preacher travels the Midwest with his son Coot and a disgruntled group of followers. One night, Coot and follower Blake run away with Coot’s father’s money and head for Blake’s hometown of Mobile, Ala. While Paul, Vern, and the baby travel to find work, they meet a mother and two kids who are trekking across country as well, looking for a place to settle. Marigold, constantly thinking of the baby she lost, discovers that she has a magical gift of healing. Coot, as he is approaching Alabama, realizes his remarkable gifts of memory and the power of his preaching. As the dust swells and WWII looms, the characters intersect in unusual, surprising ways. Though filled with preachers declaring judgment and prophecies of the end-time, Dietrich’s hopeful tale illuminates the small rays of faith that shine even in dark times.

July 12, 2019

Fifteen-year-old Marigold and child preacher Coot have one thing in common--abusive families. Marigold makes a life in the forest with her infant daughter after being rejected by her family. Marigold's daughter disappears and leaves her with a legendary inexplicable and somewhat terrifying power. Coot escapes his abusive father, taking a load of stolen money and heading for Mobile, AL. Two migrant workers, Vern and Paul, find Marigold's daughter and decide to raise her as their own. The offbeat family unit soon joins with a widow and her two kids. Their seeming lack of commonalities disappears in the days before World War II when they begin to travel in similar orbits and ultimately become connected under the stars of Alabama. Dietrich (The Other Side of the Bay) offers a story of love, loss, and subsequent hope set in early 1930s Dust Bowl Kansas. The folksy writing style is a hallmark of Dietrich's storytelling and bears the tone of his podcasts and columns. Every character has some quirk and substance that will imbed them in readers' minds like memories of an old friend. VERDICT Dietrich is a Southern Garrison Keillor. Fans of the latter and former will be pleased.--Christine Sharbrough, Industry, TX

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