Set in 1978, a time of Ditto jeans and rabbit's foot keychains, Raising Panic captures the bond of sisters struggling to find security in an alcoholic home and their attempt to escape. PJ McCormack wants nothing more than to leave her rural valley and alcoholic mother, the way her father did years earlier. But she cannot leave behind her nine-year-old sister, Panic. Instead, she teaches Panic about survival, hoping to prepare her to someday leave. After Panic witnesses the historic PSA 182 jetliner crash (the first televised mass-casualty event in the U.S.), the family is thrown into crisis, solidifying the sisters' plan to leave. As their situation spins out of control, they'll learn the reason behind their father's disappearance, the source of rabbit's foot keychains, and the origin of Panic's name. " Raising Panic presents both a fearless exploration of a rural family riven by alcoholism and a resounding affirmation of hope. Rhonda Zimlich is the rare author who can render the interior lives of children and adolescents with nuance and elucidate the bonds children forge with each other to survive and thrive in a world where adults too often fail them. Zimlich's keen insights into the emotional lives of children, coupled with her gorgeous descriptions of California's desert landscape, testify to the refuge and healing power friendship and natural beauty can provide, even in the direst of circumstances." --Alice Hatcher, author of The Wonder That Was Ours "Years ago, a writer lamented the wait for the great San Diego novel. I nominate Raising Panic , a startlingly affecting story about two young sisters, PJ and Panic, who are in a quest for personal and family identity. Their ache and hope is on every page, daring even to outweigh the historical tragedy of a commercial airliner plunging into a quiet San Diego neighborhood. You won't want to let these girls out of your sight as they come to understand a world far beyond their years." --Brian Leung, author of A Terrifying Brush with Optimism and Ivy vs. Dogg " Raising Panic resonates with the evolving emotional coming-of-age of the resourceful PJ, desperate to protect her vulnerable younger sister from natural dangers as well as the emotional storm that is life with their mercurial mother, Betsy. Rich with sensory details, from the opening paragraph, Zimlich presents Nature as a beautifully wrought character. This poignant story of family loyalty, misguided intentions, and two devoted sisters' bond keeps the reader cheering for PJ and Panic as they hone their survival skills in both the physical and emotional realms." --Liza Nash Taylor, author of Etiquette for Runaways and In All Good Faith " Raising Panic by Rhonda Zimlich is that rare wonder, a book that knows its human and non-human landscapes inside and out, and renders them with tender care. I fell hard for Panic and PJ, and for the chaparral broom and brush sage and sycamores and arroyo willows who sheltered these children, offering them protection and solace from a damaged world-when the adult world could not. This story of resiliency, spirit, and sibling love touched me to the core." --Robin MacArthur, author of Half Wild and Heart Spring Mountain "A deeply felt coming of age story, a meditation on grief and shared trauma, and an endlessly rich and detailed evocation of the landscapes of childhood, all in one." --Tom Howard, author of Fierce Pretty Things "A tender, lyrical portrait of two young sisters forced to reckon with loss and longing; set in the unrelenting California desert, Rhonda Zimlich evokes a time and place marked by tragedy and questions what it means to sacrifice for the ones we love most." --Patricia Park, author of What's Eating Jackie Oh? "Rhonda Zimlich is a rare talent who compassionately and critically examines rural American communities for their hope and humanity. Through tragedy, sister bonds, and family secrets, Raising Panic reveals the tension between our origin stories and the rocky path of leaving home to save ourselves. This book is astonishing!" --Melissa Scholes Young, author Flood and The Hive