In prose as clean and beautiful as the stark prairie setting, "The Plain Sense of Things" tells the stories of three generations of a western Nebraska family. These tales of sorrow and hope are connected by the sinews of need and flawed love that keep families together. A farm wife struggles to support her children after the death of her second husband; a young woman grapples with the shift from girlhood to motherhood; World War II wreaks havoc on those left behind; and a failing farmstead breaks a family's heart.Amid hardship and change, these interwoven stories illuminate the resilience and dignity - and the subtle sweetness - of a life lived in clear view of the plain sense of things. Pamela Carter Joern's debut novel, "The Floor of the Sky" (available in a Bison Books edition), was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and winner of the Alex Award and the Nebraska Book Award. Joern is a playwright, the winner of a Tamarack Award, and the recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board writing fellowship.