When Carrie Dickerson first saw a newspaper headline about the electric company's plans to build a nuclear power plant near her home in Oklahoma, she knew little about nuclear reactors and less about the legal process through which they were built and operated.

Here is Aunt Carrie's fascinating account of a nine-year battle in hearing rooms, the news media, and sometimes even the streets, to stop Black Fox's construction. Before it was over, this war would cost her and her husband Robert their entire savings, their nursing home, and almost the family farm. When the money ran out, she took up quilting to raise more.

In telling her story for the first time, Carrie brings a message of hope. In her quiet way, she also issues a call for awareness and responsible action, which is, she believes, every citizen's responsibility.