“With exquisite detail and a compelling narrative, [this novel] is an extraordinary gift of story-telling.”--Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times bestselling author. Sacrificing dreams and risking family, five women follow their husbands to an isolated Minnesota settlement. Struggling to survive, they develop resilience but none are prepared for the challenges they face when starving bands of Santee Sioux (Dakota) take up arms against the whites during the 1862 Dakota Conflict. Laura Duley left Indiana as a newlywed. Promised a perfect life, she endured years on the hostile frontier and the loss of family only to be taken captive by the Dakota. Independent and protective, Lavina Eastlick was shot, beaten, and left for dead after witnessing the death of several of her children. In the hope that two still survived, she stumbled miles to reach safety. Christina Koch was a headstrong German immigrant determined to make a new life in America. Challenging her captors at every turn, she finally escaped to safety. Almena Hurd, unwavering in her commitment to family, was already dealing with a missing husband when she was sent alone onto the prairie with two small children. She survived by carrying one, then returning for the other, a quarter mile at a time. Julia Wright, the honest, practical wife of an unscrupulous trader, used her language skills and understanding of the Dakota to help the captives during their ordeal, becoming so valuable that her captor refused to release her to her rescuers, the Yankton Sioux Fool Soldier Band. Their braided stories reveal a common will that allowed them to hold on no matter what and to never let go. "With great empathy and vivid storytelling, Nowak delivers readers into the heart of the frontier and the Dakota uprising of 1862. A tale of bravery, sacrifice, and determination, NEVER LET GO is rich with historical detail and a cast of unforgettable women who refused to accept their fate. A winner!" -- Heather Webb, USA Today Bestselling Author This is a story that is incredibly close to my heart. I grew up just a few miles from Lake Shetek and learned about the events there while still a child. I tried to write this story as a teenager (but, of course, knew nothing about fiction craft). It was the topic of research papers in high school and college and it remained with me for decades. When I knew it was time, I returned to Minnesota to again walk in the footsteps of these women, visit their cabin sites, and start deeper threads of research into  what made each of them strong enough to survive their ordeals. The story grew beyond simply the events of 1862 because the roots of these women's strength lay in the lives they lived.  As a historian as well as a novelist, I took great pains to remain true to the historical record wherever possible. However, my purpose was to make the stories of Laura, Lavina, Christina, Almena, and Julia come alive rather than to offer a scholarly reporting of events. While I was able to locate clues to  their major live events, I could only surmise their personalities, their family interactions, their dreams and motivations, conversations, or what they thought and did in their daily lives. I have not changed any of the facts I was able to uncover. However, to create my story, I filled in the gaps and developed the women as characters, from my  imagination, around  factual  events. This  is a novel, not a history, but I hope it is one that does justice to the history. Sacrificing dreams and risking family, five women follow their husbands to an isolated Minnesota settlement. Struggling to survive, they develop resilience but none are prepared for the challenges they face when starving bands of Santee Sioux (Dakota) take up arms against the whites during the 1862 Dakota Conflict. Laura Duley left Indiana as a newlywed. Promised a perfect life, she endured years on the hostile frontier and the loss of family only to be taken captive by the Dakota. Independent and protective, Lavina Eastlick was shot, beaten, and left for dead after witnessing the death of several of her children. In the hope that two still survived, she stumbled miles to reach safety. Christina Koch was a headstrong German immigrant determined to make a new life in America. Challenging her captors at every turn, she finally escaped to safety. Almena Hurd, unwavering in her commitment to family, was already dealing with a missing husband when she was sent alone onto the prairie with two small children. She survived by carrying one, then returning for the other, a quarter mile at a time. Julia Wright, the honest, practical wife of an unscrupulous trader, used her language skills and understanding of the Dakota to help the captives during their ordeal, becoming so valuable that her captor refused to release her to her rescuers, the Yankton Sioux Fool Soldier Band. Their braided stories reveal a common will that allowed them to hold on no matter what and to never let go. Pamela (Gieser) No