Crows over a Wheatfield — Paula Sharp

This extraordinary bestseller, set in small-town Wisconsin and spanning thirty years, is the story of Judge Melanie Klonecki, the daughter of an abusive and brilliant criminal defense lawyer. Returning to the rural landscape of her youth, Melanie befriends the flamboyant Mildred Steck, a woman who leads an insurrectionist movement and creates an underground railroad for mothers and children whom the courts and child custody laws have failed to protect from domestic violence. Crows Over a Wheatfield is a triumphant fusion of the personal and political -- a controversial, suspenseful story written with rare beauty and insight.