(Atlantic) The 2022 Independent Press Award recognized “While the Windmill Watched,” a slice of Rural America in the 1950s written by Jackie Pheiffer McGregor and Janine Pfeiffer Knop in the category of Regional as a Distinguished Favorite.
Experts judge the competition from different aspects of the book industry, including publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers, and professional copywriters. Selected IPA Award Winners and Distinguished Favorites are based on overall excellence.
While the Windmill Watched: A Slice of Rural America in the 1950s is more than a regional memoir. Penned by sister authors Jackie and Janine, a windmill takes on the unique role of narrator as the book chronicles the decade of the 1950s through the lives of the sisters as they grew up on a farm near Menoken, North Dakota.
Written in four voices—each sister, the sisters together, and the Windmill—the book describes how many of the social and technical innovations that occurred mid-century played out in the daily lives of farmers, ranchers, and townspeople across the Great Plains.
The book progresses logically through the decade and is easy to read. Many photos accompany the text. The authors have included the mundane, some silliness, a few tragedies, many joys, and a sample of popular recipes of the 1950s. The reader will note the aspect of community cohesiveness in the rural North Dakota area in which the authors were raised.
In 2022, the INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD had entries worldwide. Authors and publishers from countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Jordan, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, and the United States participated.
Go to www.whilethewindmilwatched.com to see the list of vendors selling the book or order directly through this website.
