The innocence of small town life in Sandy, Oregon was shattered in the spring of 1933. The entire neighborhood of Sandy Ridge on the outer edge of the town was terrified as the sounds of gun shots and a thunderous explosion of fire rocked the morning hours of March, 17.
Neighbors knew Edward Flatau to be a cantankerous, envious and mean-spirited man, but no one imagined he was capable of such horrors. That Mildred, his teen age daughter, was able to stand up to him and live was the talk of the small town for decades.
Based on newspaper accounts and historical records, including court documents, family stories and letters, Standing Against the Rage is Mildred’s story. Author Linda D’Ae-Smith uses Mildred’s own diary written during the car trip from Sandy, Oregon to a new life with relatives in Detroit, Michigan to not only tell the tragic events of March 17, but reveals how Mildred’s faith was pivotal in her surviving unspeakable carnage and loss. Her strength in the midst of horrific tragedy is, on the surface, inexplicable. What causes a young teen to stand up against the rage of a man seeking vengeance upon perceived injustice?
Driven to find the answer, D’Ae-Smith set out on a remarkable journey to uncover Mildred’s story.