compiled and written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration for the state of North Carolina. Sponsored by North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development.

Archie "A.B." and Ida Clements both grew up poor on farms in rural Southside Virginia, spending their formative years in the deprivation of the Great Depression, and their early adulthood during the heartache of World War II. Tom Brokaw called theirs "The Greatest Generation." Moses and Connie Clements just call them Mama and Daddy. In the world of A.B. and Miss Ida, integrity is the greatest virtue, economy is a way of life, and hard work is mandatory. The tales they have to tell are, in turn, inspirational, heartbreaking, and thoroughly entertaining. Their lives are a testament to the desire and force of will it takes to make a living in the good black soil of Tidewater, Virginia. Any Road: The Story of a Virginia Tobacco Farm is a series of short stories inspired by the lives of author Connie Clements Ellison's parents. Archie and Ida lived their lives based on faith, honesty, hard work, and humor as they strived for-and eventually achieved-the American Dream.