"Journey's Edge" is a humanistic story-partly true and partly fictionalized-of generations of a family named Whitney. From the seventeenth century into the twentieth century, offspring of John Whitney make their way from Massachusetts to Iowa. The natural style of the writing in "Journey's Edge" draws the reader into the lives of the men, women and children of this brave clan of people. Colonial life in New England sets the stage for the opening of the book. As John Whitney begins life in the Boston area, he has to find a house to live in and establish his business as a tailor. His children don't all feel compelled to remain in eastern Massachusetts. Some move further from the coast, only to find the dangers that reside in the frontier. Later Whitney generations select occupations such as clergyman, leather tanner, silversmith and farmer. Finally, the westward journey of the family leads to Iowa, where the Whitneys buy land and settle.