Minnesota author Pernell Plath Meier earned her degrees in science (biology, anthropology, environmental studies) as an undergraduate, followed by graduate degrees in sustainable agriculture and anthropology from Iowa State University, and has worked in ten countries as well as in Kentucky where she helped farmers transition from tobacco production to local foods. Pernell is a committed environmentalist and humanist, deeply concerned about climate change and political issues,Though IN OUR BONES is the author’s debut novel, the quality of prose and the pungent content announce a writer of significance on the scene. Pernell has written articles about gardening and adoption, but this is her auspicious introduction to the world of writing novels.Bracing prose is evident from the outset of this excellent novel, when after an introduction to the main character, Lauren, we read: ‘Blinding warm sunshine blasted the open door as she stepped inside. A huge window dominated the royal purple bathroom with crystal suncatchers filling the glass, splitting the light into its constituent parts and sending rainbows dancing across the walls. This room was Lauren’s favorite. She’d never had the money to fix up her whole house the way she’d wanted, but her dad had found the claw foot tub and pedestal sink at an auction and restored them to their former glory. Before he got sick, Dale did things like that for her all the time. He was an attentive father to both Lauren and her sister, Rachel. Though it seemed there was always a little something extra for her, as if he was trying to make up for some wrong he thought he’d committed. Lauren could never tell him why things really changed between them…’ Facile and eloquent writing make the inherent challenging messages of this story a solid entry into contemporary literature.The author’s pertinent and topical views about the world in which we live flow forth in a compelling story: ‘Lauren’s happy childhood on a farm in Minnesota is shattered after an assault during her teen years, and she retreats into her own world as America falls apart. Hers was the last generation to grow up before the economic collapse that followed the Corona pandemic. Amidst roiling climate chaos, the government has been taken over by extremists, incompetents, and con-men who tear the country apart while clinging to power. Lauren is swept up in the madness when she falls for the wrong man. She’s looking for love and safety, but Bryan becomes distant and abusive as he obsesses over White Sharia and deepens his ties to the racist patriot militia group. Lauren worries about the safety of her sister and nephew, who is mixed-race. Will Lauren escape from Bryan and keep her nephew safe from danger? In a world where values are tested and morality is unsettlingly murky, Lauren must break free from the constraints in her mind to protect her family.’This is a dynamic and richly controversial novel that deserves our close attention. Very highly recommended. Grady Harp, October 20