All
on Account of You by Elaine Luddy KlonickiMemoirs
Truth is sometimes stranger and more interesting than fiction. Well, you don't have to tell me that -- I researched and wrote about the Fox sisters, after all. However, the genre of "memoirs" is up and coming these days, because people have realized that life is fascinating enough without having to fictionalize it! Unlike some of the "best-selling" memoirs of recent days that turned out to be fiction after all, you will find that the books in this month's Spotlight are all very true. (Except maybe Steve Knutson's ... but it's hard to tell with him!)
All
on Account of You by Elaine Luddy Klonicki
Angie Courtney is a spirited young woman realizing her dream. She is living in a girls' club in New York, studying fashion design. Bill Luddy, a boy she left behind in her hometown of Altoona, PA, is now stationed on a Navy ship docked on the Hudson Bay. They begin dating each other again in 1942 during his officers' training and he wins her heart through his daily love letters. All on Account of You is the true story of their courtship.
Elaine Luddy Klonicki is a freelance writer and a former columnist for The News and Observer in Raleigh, NC. She writes nonfiction books and articles, and creative nonfiction essays.
Book Reviews:
"It is a rich documentation of a most romantic time. I know because I was there. It was a time when every experience was heightened and shadowed by war." ~ Earl Hamner, producer of The Waltons
"Much of the story is told through the adoring love letters of Bill, a man I came to greatly admire during my reading, if for no other reason than he was a selfless man with unbridled devotion for those he loved. Had I not known that Bill wins her in the end, I would have considered him a long shot as the eventual victor of Angie's heart. Ultimately, I believe it was his letters - and the devotion behind them - that did it. Each of them is a treasure unto itself."~ Amazon Customer Review
Read more about this book and other works by Elaine Klonicki by visiting the author's website.
It Takes One To Catch One by Steven A. Knutson
Subtitled "Confessions of an Alaskan Wildlife
Trooper," author Steven A. Knutson spins several fine tales that could be as
true as the "Confessions" mentioned in the title or as tall as the "fiction,"
which he insists they be called. "The stories are a glimpse into the wayward
life of a kid as seen through the weak, old eyes of a 60-year-old man," Knutson
notes on the book's back cover. Whatever else you call them, you can call them
fun to read. Knutson tells tales of hunting, fishing, and chasing bad guys. In
each pursuit, some get away, but usually, be it bear, fish or man, Knutson nabs
what he pursues. "It Takes One to Catch One" has the humor of Mark Twain and the
Alaskan adventure of Jack London. A book of short stories, this is one volume
you may want to catch. -- Valdosta Daily Times, March 20, 2008
Steven A. Knutson says: "Long after I'm gone, when my children tell their children, 'your Grandfather was crazy,' my grandkids will have written reference. I have lived a wild life, walking on tip toes and holding in check any hint of a timid spirit." This book is the first in a series of three which recounts Knutson's adventures as an Alaskan Wildlife Trooper.
Reviews:
"Reading "It Takes One to Catch One" by Steven A. Knutson, was like being in the high Sierras near the John Muir trail under stars spread across the bowl of night like a crowded field full of blooming flowers sitting around a camp fire chased by wisps of smoke swapping stories with friends now gone." ~ Lloyd Lofthouse, author of My Splendid Concubine
"I've always heard that 'life is stranger than fiction,' so I suspect there is a lot of truth in this narrative!" ~ Amazon Customer Review
Visit Steven A. Knutson at his Authors Den page to read samples of his work.
Departure Message by Charles L. Lunsford
Departure Message chronicles the story of an Airborne Radio Operator--one of the very last of them, and the trials and tribulations of being stationed near Paris at the age of 20, and flying all over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. This memior preserves for history the days when most airplanes could not fly without a crewmember to operate the complicated and bulky radios of the time, and the skill of the men who could communicate in International Morse code. Gone from the face of the earth, replaced by new technology, the flying radiomen are almost forgotten, along with the Air Force of the time, and the aircraft they flew.
In his youth, Charles Lunsford was one of the very last Morse code trained Airborne Radio Operators in the USAF just before that skill passed into the realm of ancient history. He wanted to chronicle that for history so he wrote "Departure Message," a memoir about being an enlisted aircrew member when the Cold War was not so cold and airplanes could not fly without a radio operator.
Reviews:
"We all have much to learn from history and Charles Lunsford has done a fantastic job of making some of that history come to life for us with his elaborate descriptions of countries that most of us will never have the honor of visiting and a way of life that we would otherwise have never known. So we must read and depend on gentleman like Mr. Lunsford to take us there in our hearts and senses." ~ BookPleasures.com
"Rarely have I encountered a book that has left me in dread of reaching the end. To escape within its pages to a more amiable world of droning engines and hit of Glenn Miller became a refuge few books are able to offer." ~ London Morning Paper
Read excerpts from this book and Charles Lunsford's other novel, Boxcar Down, on Authors Den.
Our
Grandpa Was an Alien by Celia D. Hayes
My parents raised us-- myself, my brothers and sister-- during what now seems to us a halcyon time, the years of the baby boom 1950ies and 60ies. They were strong-minded and eccentric, and not the least conformist; my father, a research biologist, tended to bring work home, which accounts for the monkey skull and the bag of mice in the freezer. My mother did not just set Dr. Spocks' child care advice aside, she flung it with great force. With our books, and our pets, and a circle of friends, and extended family, we lived on the top of a hill in the back country, sheltered from many of the mid-20th century storms by our parents' love, and dedication. They sent us out into the larger world, having given us the best possible defense against all the blows that life is apt to deal out; an unutterably happy and secure childhood.
Celia Hayes was born in 1954, to parents who had no idea their family was all that amusing. She graduated from a state university with a fairly useless degree in English. Motivated by a taste for reckless adventure, she joined the US Air Force, and served for 20 years as a radio-television broadcast specialist. She lives in San Antonio, Texas. This is her first book of five.
Reviews:
"You'll enjoy the lyrical spell cast by a
writer at ease with words and able to communicate the pathos and humor of a
family seen in the rearview mirror. As in the instance of serving Grandpa Jim's
favorite pearl onion casserole at Thanksgiving, in the face of the fact that the
only man who ever ate it had died. Just because it was a family tradition and
because families are glued together by traditions, even if the glue is made of
onions." ~
Amazon Customer Review
"For excitement there is an earthquake, fires, and a couple of trips to Europe (staying in Youth Hostels), and even some refugees to keep things lively. It is a life many of us in America could have lived all, or part of, from the late 50's thru the 70's. A truly enjoyable trip indeed." ~ Amazon Customer Review
Visit this author's website to read samples of this work, her other novels, essays, and more.
Cherry
Blossoms in Twilight by Yaeko Sugama Weldon and Linda E. Austin
Yaeko Sugama Weldon's memories of a poor but happy childhood shattered by the destruction of war offer a window to a different culture and an eye-opening look at how civilians survive the fears and horrors of a war they never wanted. Cherry Blossoms in Twilight is a learning experience about the Japanese culture as well as a personal account of WWII in Japan, gently told for a younger audience but nonetheless unflinching in its message of the humanity of all - even the enemy's people.
Yaeko Sugama Weldon was born in Japan in 1925. She grew up in a small town near Tokyo and there experienced the Depression years, WWII, and the Occupation. She married an American serviceman and moved to the United States in 1958. Her story is written with the help of her daughter, Linda Emiko Austin.
Reviews:
"A cross-cultural jewel, sparkling with private glimpses of what it was like to grow up in Japan during WWII." ~ Nancy Pugh, President, Japan America Society Women's Association
"A remarkable gift for young people as well as for those who recall this period from their own perspectives." ~ Frances Benham, PhD, Library Director
"The simplicity of the language lends a credibility to Weldon's voice as if she is dictating her story in Japanese and broken English to her daughter Linda. There is kindness that comes directly from her heart that shapes her words and exudes off the page. She has written her memories into a minute-sized book that is a giant in feeling." ~ Lee Gooden, OALA Reviews
Read more reviews, excerpts, and supplemental information for teachers at the author's website.
Feta Compli by John Manuel
Feta Compli: From "Where Is This Greece Place Anyway?" To Living on Rhodes ... In Just 30 Years is a memoir which recounts the story of meeting a girl with a Greek mother in a smoky bar in Bath, UK, and how this eventually leads to living in Greece ... taking only the better part of 30 years! If you like lighthearted yet informative travel books, this is right up your street. Travel writing at its best.
John Manuel and his wife made the decision to "up sticks" and relocate to Rhodes after 30 years of marriage and innumerable visits to Greece, both as tourists and to visit relatives. John plays bass guitar (badly, he says) and writes songs and books for pleasure. He is currently working on the sequel to Feta Compli, titled Moussaka to My Ears.
Reviews:
"A slight but rollicking account of two love affairs; the first being an account of the writer’s happy marriage with his wife, Yvonne-Marie. The second is of their decades-long flirtation with the country of Greece, where her family originated. The first began as extremely circumspect flirtations, but ripened into courtship and finally commitment. And so did the second, but it just took slightly longer; about thirty years of family visits and treasured vacations in the Greek Islands before circumstances allowed John and Yvonne-Marie to pack up all their remaining worldly goods into a battered second/third/fourth hand Mitsubishi L300 van. They drove the trusty, rusty van across Europe, intending to take up residence in a partly finished duplex on the island of Rhodes, and thereby hangs the rest of this tale." ~ Sgt Mom, Blogger News Network
You can learn more about John Manuel and his work at the author's blog site or buy his book at Lulu.
So You Wanna be a Cowgirl by Patricia Probert Gott
So You Wanna Be a Cowgirl is a personal narrative. I was a forty-year-old divorced woman from Maine, running my own business when I applied for a summer job at Rimrock Dude Ranch in Wapiti Valley, outside of Cody, Wyoming. My horse and I were hired by Glenn Fales, an old-time cowboy and ex-rodeo bronc rider who, with his wife Alice, had owned the ranch for thirty-five years. I worked at Rimrock as a horse wrangler and guide. This is my story. My first experience wrangling horses found me galloping over a headwall and down a steep bluff amidst a herd of 100 horses. After learning to guide with my own horse Razan, meeting a bear, and climbing switchbacks up Table Mountain, we nearly slipped 50 feet down into the Shoshone River.
Patricia Gott is an adventurous lady from Maine who believes her destiny is what she makes it. Never one to sit back and "wish she could" -- she knows she can and gets out and proves it!
Review:
"One of the best features of 'Cowgirl' is being able to visualize exactly what the author is describing. She writes and you see. When she and her fellow wranglers are leading a group of ranch guests through the mountains, to the rivers, and just around the ranch, their interactions and conversations come off the page and into your mind surrounded by the aura of Wyoming." ~ Laura Wiley Ashton
Learn more about Patricia Gott and her adventures in Wyoming and Egypt at the author's website.
God Outside the Box by Patricia Panahi
Born of a Catholic mother and Moslem father, Patti is never sure what religion to follow, or any at all for that matter. In her youth and early twenties, she explores numerous religions, but none speak to her soul. She can't accept the idea that one group has the whole truth and everyone else is wrong, or confused, or infidels, or a cult, or going to burn in hell for all time. To limit her thinking for religious purposes is like living in a cubicle and not being allowed to look over the wall and see what is going on outside. She wants to think for herself, to study, to analyze and to practice without inhibitions. Why would God only accept the practices and prayers of one particular group and not others? An omniscient God can't be that petty, can he-or she? She finally concludes that she just doesn't know and flounders in a spiritual void for a time. But when she is diagnosed with a serious illness and haunted by inner demons of her past, she cracks and falls apart. Deep, buried emotions erupt to the surface, shaking her to her core. Propelled to seek answers and find inner peace, she cries out to the heavens for help. Consequently, she tumbles into a spiritual adventure that explodes her concepts of reality and opens her to a brave new world where souls talk, trees emit energy fields, rocks have life, and God is everywhere.
Born to a New Jersey Catholic mother and an Iranian Muslim father, Patricia Panahi was never quite sure who she was from the very beginning. This early confusion would lead her on a roller coaster ride of a spiritual journey for years to come.
Reviews:
"Without every preaching or proseletizing, Patricia Panahi explains her personal quest for spiritual meaning. Her experiences are unique, yet her answers can apply to all of us who seek meaning in our faith and in our lives." ~ Bookcraft
"She never hesitates to share her doubts, her moments of skepticism, and the obstacles to personal understanding and fulfillment which she had to work through in order to make progress in her spiritual development." ~ POD Book Reviews and More
Learn more about this author, her book, and journey of spiritual discovery at the author's website.
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