Made for You and Me

A poignant, exuberant memoir about a young couple who pursue their Big American Dream of going west and fail utterly - but discover the goodness of heading for home.

Here's a story that's already captured the affections of NPR listeners: Caitler Shetterly and Dan Davis, two hardworking freelancers, began married life by packing up every possession and driving cross-country to seek their fortune out West. At first, California really was the land of plenty. But a surprise pregancy soon made Caitlin too sick to work. And then the recession landed. Within a few months, every job Dan had lined up was canceled.

A year after they had set out with high hopes, Caitlin, Dan, and their newborn found themselves stranded in Los Angeles with no means of support. They packed up their car again, this time trying to make it back East to move in with Caitlin's mother. As they drove, Caitlin blogged and provided radio diaries for NPR's Weekend Edition. She received an astounding response. All across the country, listeners offered help and opened their homes to Caitlin and her family.

Made for You and Me follows these journeys West and home - and what happened after, when Caitlin and Dan discovered, not without struggles and surprises, that the bonds of family run deeper and can offer more than any tug to roam.

CAITLIN SHETTERLY is a freelance writer, an actor, the founder and artistic director of the Winter Harbor Theatre Company, and a contributor to National Public Radio, where she first told some of this tory on air.