In book one of the Plowed Fields trilogy, we met Joe Baker and his large family as a rare white Christmas descended on their South Georgia farm. It was 1960, and the family seemed poised on the brink of a grand experience in the years to come. As the decade progresses, the Bakers see their fortunes rise and fall, beginning with an illness that shakes the family at its very core. Prosperity comes calling when it’s least expected, but a harrowing ordeal forces a reckoning with faith that nearly shatters the family.

In book two of this three-part novel in episodes, Joe and his family give us an intimate portrayal of the farming life. They also encounter more unexpected turmoil with their friends and neighbors, including Lucas Bartholomew, Bobby Taylor, and Sheriff Paul Berrien, stoking the conflict that will bring the family face-to-face with fire and famine, war and peace, and good and evil. Amid a severe drought, this mesmerizing family saga builds to an exciting climax as one violent act leads Joe to mete out his own vicious brand of retribution. Ultimately, the Bakers will need an act of daring and courage to save them from utter ruin.

In Plowed Fields, author Jim Barber has created a place and characters that feel like home and family. This book drips with the sweat, grime, and grit of field work, the bone-tired stress of trying to make ends meet, and a passion for life, all in this magnificent story of one’s family’s search for belonging. Book two will leave you eager to for the conclusion of the Plowed Fields trilogy.