The perilously high Red River in Fargo is all over the news today. The National Guard is on the ground there, patrolling the 43-foot-high dike for leaks and breaches. Several neighborhoods have been evacuated, as have jails and hospitals. The river is expected to crest tomorrow.

One of my coworkers said today that she can’t read or listen to anything about Fargo without thinking about Flood Stage and Rising, published by the University of Nebraska Press in 2005. The author, Jane Varley, lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which is also on the banks of the Red River. In 1997, Varley watched as her town flooded and as the downtown caught on fire; she and many of her neighbors returned afterward to rebuild their lives and the town. How high were the waters? Just look at the cover.