Irene Plouviez

Love, Joanie Irene Plouviez

After the Second World War, the rural outskirts of Suburbia became America's newest Frontier. Millions left the urban centers of the nation for a new life, away from the smog, noise and expense of big-city living. Among those mid-century pioneers were Joanie and Ted Plouviez. In 1956, Joanie and Ted staked out their suburban homestead in the new village of Lindenhurst, Illinois, where they raised their two ""Boomer"" daughters. No stranger to country life, Ted makes the transition easily. But for Joanie, born and raised in Chicago, the joy of finding an affordable home soon gives way to a desperate longing for the family, culture and convenience of the city she left behind. As she struggles to maintain her house, her children and her sanity in a neighborhood where she feels like an ""odd duck,"" Joanie still clings stubbornly to her city roots, relating her travails - and her triumphs - in letters to her Ma and Pa back in Chicago.