And The Whippoorwill Sang

By Micki Peluso

Happy times, a sunny day, a driving drunk, eight lives forever changed. A mother's account of actual events of her family, filled with laughter, love, loss, and survival.It is a day like any other, except the intense heat wave has broken and signs of early fall are in the air. Around the dining room table of her 100 year old farmhouse Micki Peluso's six children along with three of their friends eagerly gulp down a chicken dinner. As soon as the last morsel is ravished, the lot of them is off in different directions. Except for the one whose turn it is to do the dishes. After offering her mother a buck if she'll do them, with an impish grin, the child rushes out the front door, too excited for a hug, calling out, "Bye Mom," as the door slams shut. For the Peluso's the nightmare begins.Micki and Butch face the horror every parent fears-awaiting the fate of one of their children. While sitting vigil in the ICU waiting room, Micki traverses the past, as a way of dealing with an inconceivable future. From the bizarre teenage elopement with her high school sweetheart, Butch, in a double wedding with her own mother, to comical family trips across country in an antiquated camper with six kids and a dog, they leave a path of chaos, antics and destruction in their wake. Micki relives the happy times of raising six children while living in a haunted house, as the young parents grow up with their kids. She bravely attempts to be the man of the house while her husband, Butch is working out of town. Hearing strange noises, which all the younger kids are sure is the ghosts, Micki tiptoes down to the cellar, shotgun in hand and nearly shoots an Idaho potato that has fallen from the pantry and thumped down the stairs. Of course her children feel obligated to tell the world. Just when their lives are nearly perfect, tragedy strikes-and the laughter dies. A terrible accident takes place in the placid valley nestled within the Susquehanna Mountains in the town of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. On a country lane just blocks from the family's hundred year old haunted farmhouse, lives are changed forever. In a state of shock, Micki muses through their delightful past to avoid confronting an uncertain future-as the family copes with fear and apprehension. One of her six children is fighting for life in Intensive Care. Both parents are pressured by doctors to disconnect Noelle, their fourteen-year-old daughter. Her beautiful girl, funny and bright, who breathes life into every moment, who does cartwheels in piles of Autumn leaves, who loves to sing and dance down country roads, and above all loves her family with all her soul. How can Micki let this child go?The family embarks upon yet another journey, to the other side of sorrow and grasps the poignant gift of life as they begin. . .to weep. . .to laugh. . .to grieve. . .to dance-and forgive.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1466497076
• ISBN13: 9781466497078
• Release Date: March 2012
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An emotional rollercoaster and worth the ride

Very few books make me laugh out loud. This one did. It also made me cry, rage, and cheer. If you read only one book this year, make it this one. From a less than auspicious beginning, the book takes you on a journey through a life that knows knows laughter, joy, frustration, and a depth of sorrow no family should suffer to a redemptive victory. It resonates with emotion and hard learned lessons in life, love, friendship, commitment, and forgiveness. A must read.

An absolute page turner

What a wonderful read!! I couldn't put it down. I felt like the boy in the movie "The Page Master", who upon finding a book he couldn't wait to read, found a place to hide to just read the book, relishing every page and enjoying each chapter as much as the one before it. I actually bumped into someone who was talking about this book as well and she said the same thing, she just couldn't put it down. The ones lucky enough to have found this hidden treasure will be moved beyond words by this beautiful story of a life lived.

Peluso's book a winner!

Micki Peluso's poignant memoir, "And The Whippoorwill Sang" is a 'must read'. With wit, insight, and heart, she draws the reader into her life, into her home, and into the pain of a loss no family should ever endure. This book is not only a miraculous journey for every reader, but should be REQUIRED reading for some---especially those thoughtless enough to drive under the influence. Peluso's book is a tribute to the power of loving family connections and is one not to be missed.

And the Whippoorwill Sang -- wonderful, poignant, funny and tragic account of a family's life

I've never been much into memoires, but I have to say, this story of one family's life had me engrossed from the moment I picked it up and started reading. This is a story about one family's life, and I can relate to almost every incident in this tale. I almost split my sides when I read about some of the heroine's adventures. Have I ever run out of gas on the interstate? Or tried chugging up a mountain with a vehicle that wouldn't chug? Uh, yeah. Have I ever said, or heard anyone say "shut up I have to see where I'm going?" Uh, yeah. The author shares her experiences with us and allows us into her family as though we were a family member. I feel as though I know this group and that they'd have gotten along so well with my own family. One technique the author uses is the flashback into the past as she sits waiting for the doctor to pronounce life or death for one of her precious children. A heart wrenching account. She uses present tense for the emergency scenes and past tense for the flash backs and, although I don't normally like present tense use, this worked. In fact, I couldn't imagine it done any other way. I give this book five stars for an enjoyable and sobering look into the author's life. Patricia A. Guthrie

And the Whippoorwill Sang

This book brings the reader through a vast array of emotions. From laughter to tears, it is easy to relate to the feelings of this family during an unexpected tragedy. The writing style is fantastic, allowing the reader to truly feel a part of this big loving family.