The Seed Keeper

During Rosalie’s pregnancy, John gives up drinking, and the two bond like a regular married couple. They disagree on one issue: the child’s name. John wants to name the boy Thomas after his father, but Rosalie insists on Wakpá. When the boy is born, Rosalie capitulates, though she calls him Wakpá on her own. Tommy is a fretful infant, and soon, strain develops in the marriage.

Gaby shows up one day and informs Rosalie that she’s headed for a community college in the Twin Cities. In the following years, the farm does well, garnering respect for John in the community. He starts meeting other farmers for coffee. Rosalie feels like he sometimes sees her as they do, as an outsider. She realizes that though John has great knowledge of plants and the land, he doesn’t understand the politics of agriculture. Consequently, he is surprised when President Carter’s USSR grain embargo hurts US farmers and money becomes tight again. Rosalie feels it is up to her to find a better way to do business or keep them solvent.

Times are rough for farm families. One of the worst farm crises in decades has led to water rationing and reports of farmers either attempting suicide or murder in their desperation.