Blog Archives
Letters: Our American Story
Letters: Our American Story is a tender, faith-soaked family history built around letters, postcards, memoir fragments, and remembered voices that stretch across more than a century. Ann Brubaker Greenleaf Wirtz uses private correspondence to braid together genealogy, American history, Christian conviction, and intimate memory, moving from Susan B. Anthony’s 1903 suffrage letter to wartime testimony, Peace Corps recollections from Brazil, Greenleaf family letters, Elisabeth Elliot’s postcard, and a granddaughter’s Christmas poem. What could have been merely an archive becomes something warmer and more searching: a meditation on how ordinary lives brush against national history, and how written words can keep love alive long after the moment that produced them has passed.
I was most moved by the book’s insistence that history doesn’t only belong to monuments, presidents, and battlefield dates. It lives in a father writing to his son about purpose, in Arie trying to understand grief after Sandy’s death, in Mary Vandivert’s vision for women’s learning, and in the quiet astonishment of discovering how one family thread touches Susan B. Anthony, Benjamin Franklin, the Space Race, World War II, and the Kennedy years. The writing has a devotional cadence, sometimes almost prayerful, and at its best, it feels like sitting beside someone who has opened an old cedar chest and is lifting out each letter with reverence. There is a lot of genealogical detail, especially when the lineages multiply. That density is part of the book’s character. It reflects the author’s awe before connection itself, the almost dizzying sense that every life is a convergence of accidents, choices, inheritances, and grace.
Susan B. Anthony’s letter carries political hope sharpened by age and disappointment. Kenneth Brubaker’s World War II account stands near horror without losing decency. Gail Crosson’s Peace Corps memory in Brazil has a startling humility to it, especially in its admission that goodwill sometimes arrived before skill. Elisabeth Elliot’s postcard, with its plea to be faithful when nobody’s looking, felt like one of the book’s spiritual keystones. I appreciated the author’s openness about faith, even when the theological framing is so central that readers outside that tradition may feel more like guests than natives. For me, that sincerity gave the book its emotional weight.
Letters: Our American Story was less a conventional narrative than a family chapel built from paper, memory, and gratitude. Its strongest passages are those where personal loss and national history touch hands, where the grand sweep of America is brought down to ink, a mailbox, a kitchen table, a folded page saved for decades. I’d recommend it especially to readers who love genealogy, Christian memoir, women’s history, family archives, epistolary writing, and reflective Americana. It’s a good book for anyone who has ever kept an old letter because throwing it away felt like losing a voice.
Pages: 247 | ASIN : B0G35SLGBC
The Legacy of the Twins Platoon
The Legacy of the Twins Platoon follows a group of young Minnesotans who enlist together in the Marine Corps at a Minnesota Twins game in 1967 and then get swept into some of the hardest fighting of the Vietnam War, from Khe Sanh and Hue City to Dai Do and the DMZ. The book is split into life before Vietnam, brutal combat tours in-country, and the long shadow of the war afterward, including PTSD, broken marriages, suicides, and quiet acts of resilience that play out over decades. Author Christy Sauro Jr writes as one of them and tracks down the stories of his fellow Marines and their families, so the story stretches from their teenage years to their later lives as aging veterans who still carry the weight of what happened. It ends up as both a unit history and a long, painful look at what the war did to a particular slice of America.
I found the book to be surprisingly intimate and straightforward. Sauro’s style is plainspoken and very visual, and he leans on short scenes and dialogue rather than high drama. The boot camp sections and early combat chapters move fast and feel almost like you are standing on the yellow footprints, getting barked at, then shoved into the red mud around Khe Sanh and Dai Do. The moment when Wallace “Skip” Schmidt describes the rifle being shot out of his hands and then whispers that everyone he knows is dead hit me in the gut, because Sauro lets the scene sit there with minimal commentary. Sometimes the level of detail can feel overwhelming, with name after name and battle after battle, and I caught myself having to flip back to remember who was who. That said, the repetition also mirrors what he is trying to show: a grinding series of patrols, firefights, and losses that blur together for the men who lived it. It is not a sleek literary war memoir, and I ended up liking that roughness, because it feels honest to the world he is describing.
What stayed with me even more than the combat was the moral and emotional through-line. Sauro is obsessed with what the country asked of these teenagers and what it gave them back in return. The homecoming scenes are almost harder to read than the firefights. Larry Jones getting smashed in the face with a beer bottle in a bar, then realizing that everyone is staring at him like he is the problem, not the guy who hit him, made me angry in a very immediate way. The chapters on PTSD and suicide are bleak and careful at the same time. Sauro walks through how men like Schmidt fell apart in the years after the war and how the term “post-traumatic stress disorder” arrived too late to help some of them or their families. The big idea here is not just that war is hell, which we all know in the abstract, but that the real cost keeps showing up in family kitchens and quiet Midwestern streets long after the shooting stops. I could feel his frustration with how slowly institutions moved and how much of the heavy lifting fell on spouses, siblings, and parents who were trying to understand what had happened to their sons.
I would recommend The Legacy of the Twins Platoon to readers of military history who want something rooted in lived experience rather than strategy charts, to younger people who have only heard the Vietnam War reduced to slogans, and to policymakers and professionals who work with veterans today. The book does exactly what a legacy should do. It keeps these Marines and their families from being reduced to a line in a textbook, and it holds up both their courage and their pain in a way that is hard to shake.
Pages: 410 | ISBN : 978-1663271556
Humble, Conservative Origins
In the Shadows of the Blue Ridge is a portrait of rural life colliding with political and economic change in Loudoun County, Virginia, and how what was once a sprawling community of dairy farms was urbanized by the construction of Dulles Airport. What inspired you to write this story?
As a native of Loudoun, I’ve witnessed its development over the past 30 years firsthand. In shocking contrast to its current frenzied level of activity, when I was a child, not much happened west of Leesburg, and there weren’t yet any wineries. Indeed, I remember slower, kinder days in Loudoun – long, summer days and nights when all that could be heard were tumbling brooks, crickets, and tree frogs. That memory stands out in stark opposition to today’s traffic, retail shops, and human activity here. I suppose before too much more “progress” occurs, I wanted to remind my readers of Loudoun’s humble, conservative origins in its not-so-distant past, and also discuss the policy and political changes Loudoun County (actually the entire country and planet) is grappling with, which required a deep dive into the classical philosophies on which the U.S. was founded.
As someone who lives just outside Loudoun County, I found your book fascinating. While fictional, it brings the rich history of this area to life and shows awareness of how much it has changed in a relatively short period. What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The country has experienced rapid cultural change over the past 30 years, specifically since the introduction of Critical Theory into public colleges and universities in the mid-90s. I wanted to chronicle these changes in order to understand how we have arrived at this point of contentious divide between parties. Also, I wanted to emphasize the crucial role of parents in the education and rearing of their own children, who are tomorrow’s citizens.
What is one thing that people point out after reading your book that surprises you?
I suppose I’m surprised about the emotional connection my readers experience with my main character, “Red,” including anger, pity, and pride (the latter over his clandestine political achievements). This feeling unites me with my readers. I find it interesting that our connection is emotional, rather than academic or intellectual.
What experience in your life has had the most significant impact on your writing?
I was raised by old-world aristocratic Germans before the computer chip, when all we had was a piano, a full set of Encyclopedia Britannica, horses, chickens, and a garden. This afforded me time to dream and contemplate life’s mysteries in nature, when, as a child, I myself wandered over Loudoun’s creeks and fields. Due to my childhood, I have experienced the differences of perception and identity under European feudalism vs. American capitalism.
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The narrative includes detailed accounts of Loudoun County’s political landscape, featuring figures such as Scott York, Phyllis Randall, Dave LaRock, and Eugene Delgaudio. It highlights political conflicts, cultural shifts, and controversies over social issues, reflecting the tension between conservative and progressive values within the community. The story of Red’s involvement in local politics, legal battles, and personal vendettas illustrates the complex interplay of power, identity, and morality in Loudoun.
Originally a farming community with a focus on livestock, agriculture, and dairy farms, Loudoun County experienced rapid urbanization starting in the 1960s, especially due to the construction of Dulles Airport. This shift led to a decline in dairy farms and an increase in real estate development, significantly altering the county’s landscape and economy. The county became a technology hub, known as “Data Center Alley,” hosting major tech companies and data centers that handle approximately 70% of global internet traffic.
The book delves deeply into the philosophical underpinnings of Western law and morality, tracing ideas from Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero to the founding principles of the United States. It emphasizes the role of Natural Law, the Cardinal Virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance), and the theological virtues (faith, hope, charity) in shaping legal and ethical frameworks. The Founding Fathers of the U.S. are portrayed as influenced by these classical and Christian ideas, embedding them in documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The history of education in America, particularly in Loudoun County, is outlined, noting early religious instruction and the evolution toward compulsory public education. The document discusses contemporary debates over educational policies, including diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and critical theory, highlighting controversies in Loudoun County Public Schools. It also introduces Patrick Henry College, founded to prepare Christian leaders grounded in biblical values and American founding principles.
A detailed profile of George Soros is provided, including his background, philosophy, and economic theories such as reflexivity. Soros’s influence on global politics and progressive movements is discussed, with attention to his support for causes that challenge traditional biblical morality, including LGBTQ rights and abortion. The document contrasts Soros’s views with classical moral philosophy and critiques the progressive rejection of traditional virtues.
The book presents biblical narratives and teachings that emphasize natural law, the Noahide Laws, and the importance of filial piety, empathy, and moral virtue. It recounts stories from Genesis, such as Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, linking them to contemporary moral debates. The role of forgiveness, reconciliation, and spiritual salvation through Christian faith is underscored as essential to personal and societal well-being.
Throughout, the book acknowledges the struggles with addiction, family dysfunction, and societal change experienced by individuals like Red. It explores themes of identity, abandonment, and redemption, and situating these personal stories within the broader historical and cultural transformations of Loudoun County.
In The Shadows of The Blue Ridge ~ A Farmer’s Plight in Loudoun County
In The Shadows of The Blue Ridge tells the story of Red Smith, a Loudoun County farmer caught between the region’s deep agricultural past and its rapid transformation into a hub for data centers, subdivisions, and politics. Author Juliet Lauderdale braids together local history, genealogy, politics, and Red’s personal struggles with addiction, family dysfunction, and survival in a changing landscape. The book moves from colonial times and Native American displacement, through Loudoun’s rise as the richest county in the country, to the intimate details of Red’s life with his mother, his political dealings, and his inner battles. It is both a chronicle of a place and a portrait of a man who never fully fits in.
The details of Red’s gardening, his mother’s sharp tongue, and the smell of orchards or basements made the pages feel alive. At times, the story wandered, carrying the rhythm of a neighbor sharing memories in a way that felt unhurried and conversational. That gave it a kind of authenticity. The mix of personal narrative, politics, and theology could be dizzying, yet it reflected the chaos of a life lived on the margins of prosperity.
What stood out most to me was the emotional core. I found myself angry with Red, then pitying him, and then oddly proud when he pulled off his small political stunts. The mother-son relationship was heartbreaking, filled with bitterness, need, and the faintest hint of love buried under insults. I also admired how the book tied Red’s story to the land itself. The soil, the creeks, and the ghosts of farmers past seemed as much characters as Red and Jane. It made me think hard about what gets lost when land is swallowed by development.
I think this book is best for readers who want more than a polished narrative. Anyone interested in the human side of rural decline, the clash between tradition and modernity, or the way family history shapes identity will find it worth their time.
Pages: 264 | ASIN : B0FHBPSGDP
In The Shadows of The Blue Ridge ~ A Farmer’s Plight in Loudoun County
Juliet Lauderdale’s In the Shadows of the Blue Ridge is part history lesson, part personal memoir, and part raw portrait of rural life colliding with political and economic change. It begins with the deep past, Native American roots, colonial land grants, and Loudoun County’s farming heritage, and then moves through centuries of growth, decline, and reinvention. Woven into this historical fabric is the life of “Red,” a descendant of old farming families, whose struggles, quirks, and political entanglements form the beating heart of the book. Lauderdale’s voice moves from scholarly to intimate, shifting easily between researched history and the candid, sometimes painfully honest, accounts of family dynamics, small-town politics, and a community transformed beyond recognition.
The writing doesn’t shy away from awkward truths, petty grudges, or the strange comedy of human behavior. There’s a rawness here about addiction, dysfunction, and generational stubbornness that hit me harder than I expected. Some passages made me laugh out loud, not because they were trying to be “cute,” but because they captured those absurd, unfiltered moments that happen in real life. Other sections felt heavy, almost suffocating, in the way they portrayed bitterness, decline, and the slow erosion of a place’s soul. The historical sections were rich and vivid, but it’s the personal vignettes that really anchored me in the story.
At times, the shifts between historical exposition and personal narrative felt abrupt, but that worked for me. Life rarely comes neatly packaged, and Lauderdale writes as though she’s turning to you mid-conversation, jumping from a 1700s land deed to a 2015 political feud without ceremony. The prose is plainspoken, but there’s a rhythm in it, a mix of blunt observation and wry humor that kept me engaged. I could feel the author’s affection for the land and her frustration with the changes forced upon it. More than once, I caught myself thinking of my own hometown, and how much of it has been paved over in the name of “progress.”
I’d recommend In the Shadows of the Blue Ridge to readers who love local history told with personality, to anyone curious about how politics and land use shape real lives, and to those who appreciate a story that lets people be flawed, contradictory, and human. It’s a portrait of a place, a family, and a man, all stubbornly resisting the tide, even as it swallows them.
Pages: 264 | ASIN : B0FHBPSGDP
Sand, Grit and Dangerous Supply Missions-The Unsung Civilian Heroes of the Iraq War
Keith Richard’s Sand, Grit and Dangerous Supply Missions offers a vivid and personal account of civilian logistics operations during the Iraq War, told from the perspective of someone who lived it firsthand. The book follows Richard’s unexpected journey from a seasoned logistics executive in the U.S. to leading one of the largest civilian military support efforts in a war zone. Through stories packed with emotion, hardship, and bureaucratic chaos, he lifts the curtain on the thousands of unsung civilian workers. Many of them are truck drivers who put their lives on the line without a uniform or a weapon. It’s part memoir, part tribute, and part exposé of how civilian contractors played an essential but invisible role in modern warfare.
I found the writing to be raw, honest, and sometimes unpolished, but in a way that works. Richard doesn’t try to sound like a polished author. He writes the way he talks, which makes the whole thing feel personal, like a friend telling you a war story over coffee. Some chapters hit hard, especially the ones where lives are lost or where Richard grapples with the emotional toll of being away from his family. But just as powerful are the quiet moments: awkward airport layovers, cigarette breaks with skeptical soldiers, dusty meetings in sweltering trailers. Those little things made the story feel real. The voice is genuine and heartfelt, though sometimes a bit repetitive or tangential. But I didn’t mind. It gave the story a rhythm that felt true to the chaos he was living through.
What I liked most were the ideas beneath the surface. This book isn’t just about logistics or war. It’s about leadership, identity, and purpose. Richard steps into a role that he never could’ve fully prepared for, and instead of folding, he adapts. He leads through grit and connection, not ego. That said, there were moments when I wished he pushed harder on the system itself. The bureaucracy and mismanagement he described were shocking. Maybe that’s loyalty, maybe it’s diplomacy. Either way, the book raises important questions about how we treat the civilians who support military efforts and whether we even acknowledge them at all.
I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in military history, leadership, or stories of resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. It’s especially compelling for those who’ve worked in logistics or operations, since it highlights a side of war that’s rarely talked about but absolutely vital. It’s a gritty, heartfelt memoir that gives voice to the everyday heroes who get left out of the headlines.
Pages: 150 | ASIN : B0F91X5ZYD
Pieces Falling: Navigating 9/11 with Faith, Family, and the FDNY
Pieces Falling is a deeply personal and faith-filled memoir that traces the journey of Ann Van Hine following the tragic loss of her husband, Bruce, a New York City firefighter who perished in the September 11 attacks. The book isn’t just a recounting of that infamous day, it’s a layered narrative that stitches together memories of love, family life, and an unshakeable faith in God. From the first chapter, “Blessed,” where Bruce speaks those words just two days before his death, to the final reflections in “The Story Continues,” Van Hine invites readers into her home, her heartbreak, and ultimately, her healing.
Reading Pieces Falling was like sitting across from a friend at a kitchen table, sipping tea, hearing her speak with unwavering honesty. Van Hine’s writing doesn’t hide behind polished prose. It breathes. She doesn’t dramatize the trauma of 9/11, yet somehow, she makes it more human than any headline ever could. The chapter “My Free Day” captures the eerie calm of a normal morning unraveling into history. Her voice, clear and vulnerable, recounts everything from feeding the dog to hearing the second tower fall, all while praying Bruce would somehow come home. It’s raw and achingly intimate.
Ann doesn’t write as a victim. She writes as a mother trying to keep dinner on the table, as a widow asking God hard questions, as a woman trying to explain to her daughters why their dad isn’t coming back. Her scene describing the family gathered in her bed on the night of the attack, making tea, trying to sleep, left me with tears in my eyes. But she never stays in sadness for too long. There’s humor. There’s humility. There’s joy in the ordinary. And I appreciated that balance more than I can say.
Faith pulses through this book. Not in a preachy way, but as a lifeline. Verses scribbled in the margins of her Bible. Dreams that felt like whispers from God. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that handled faith and grief with such a real-world tenderness. It made me reflect on my own ideas of control, surrender, and what it means to hope when there’s no guarantee.
Pieces Falling isn’t just for people who lived through 9/11 or who know what it’s like to lose someone in uniform. This book is for anyone who’s ever had their life turned upside down and wondered how to stand again. It’s for the faithful and the questioning, the broken and the rebuilding. I would recommend it without hesitation to readers of memoir, especially those interested in stories of resilience, grief, motherhood, and quiet strength. Ann’s story is heartbreaking, yes. But it’s also comforting. Because in all the brokenness, she reminds us that light still finds its way through the cracks.
Pages: 238 | ASIN : B09B7VVYKX
CCNY Made: Profiles in Grit
CCNY Made: Profiles in Grit by Ronnyjane Goldsmith is an engaging anthology that delves into the lives of some of the most notable alumni from The City College of New York. Through a series of compelling narratives, the book highlights figures such as Andrew Grove, a survivor of both Nazi occupation and Communist Hungary, who later pioneered Intel’s philosophy of “creative confrontation.” The collection also includes a profile on Edgar Yipsel Harburg, who rose from poverty on Manhattan’s Lower East Side to pen the lyrics for The Wizard of Oz, including the iconic song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
This book has profoundly impacted my perspective on the boundless potential inherent in every individual, regardless of the obstacles they face. For example, Ben Shahn, a Lithuanian immigrant who arrived in the U.S. without any knowledge of English, eventually became a pivotal social critic among twentieth-century painters. CCNY Made explores three central themes—politics, history, and social issues—offering readers a well-researched journey with extensive references to other significant works. This aspect has piqued my interest in exploring Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, which is known for its historical controversy. The book caters to a broad readership, from CCNY alumni and current students to enthusiasts of inspiring biographies and historical narratives. It portrays a rich tapestry of characters from various backgrounds who have made notable contributions to fields such as art, business, literature, music, politics, and film. The inclusion of direct quotes and black-and-white photographs enhances the connection between the reader and these influential figures.
Ronnyjane Goldsmith masterfully contrasts the humble beginnings of these individuals with their later achievements, crafting a narrative that is as inspiring as it is educational. CCNY Made serves as a poignant reminder of the profound impact one person can have on society, encouraging every reader to recognize and reach their own potential. This book is not just a collection of biographies but a source of motivation that echoes through generations.
Pages: 274 | ASIN : B0CRYWP4DJ
