The Big Squeal

In a stranger-than-fiction odyssey, a homeless pig reveals her struggles for survival in a heartland hamlet which was once Abraham Lincoln's last stop during his days as a circuit-riding lawyer. Dubbed "...a rare glimpse into Abraham Lincoln's lighter side..." by acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, "The Big Squeal" introduces a real-life, orphan pig who encounters Lincoln's likenesses all over the Town Square. Looming large is a towering bronze statue showing an amused Lincoln peering at a piglet --immortalizing Abe's request for a "writ of quietus" to calm noisy village pigs living under the rustic 1840s courthouse.

Vividly paralleling the adventure are full-color illustrations celebrating the hamlet's 19th Century architecture, the people who reside there and the heart-warming transformation of a pig from rural to city life.

About the "As Told to Author": Carol Alexander has chronicled America's heartland at five newspapers as a writer, investigative reporter and editor. She is the recipient of numerous regional, statewide and national awards. She never expected to be a pig farmer, but is glad she did. Carol resides in Taylorville, IL in a leafy haven with her family which, for the past five years, has included Liberty the Pig, the unpredictable, fascinating former orphan on the run.