I got Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America by Gigi Georges a long time ago, but never read it. It was a fascinating story and one I very much enjoyed reading. “Nestled in Maine’s far northeast corner, Washington County sits an hour’s drive from the heart of famed and bustling Acadia National Park. Yet it’s a world away. For Willow, Vivian, McKenna, Audrey, and Josie—five teenage girls caught between tradition and transformation in this remote region—it’s home. Based on four years of intimate reporting, Downeast follows their journeys of heartbreak and hope in uncertain times, creating a nuanced and unique portrait of small-town life with women at its center. It crafts a powerful and optimistic counternarrative to the dominant downbeat stories about rural America as a place of hopelessness and despair. All five girls know the pain and joy of life in a region whose rugged beauty and stoicism mask dwindling populations, vanishing job opportunities, and pervasive opioid addiction. As the girls reach adulthood, they discover that despite significant challenges, there is much to celebrate in ‘the valley of the overlooked.’ Their stories remind us of the value of timeless ideals: strength of family and community, resilience in the face of hurdles, reverence for nature’s rule, dignity in cracked hands and muddied shoes, and the enduring power of home.” (Amazon) Highly recommend, especially if you have any relationship to Maine.