History
to preserve and speculate on days gone by
Juan Patron: A Fallen Star in the Days of Billy the Kid
Follow the life and times of Juan Patron, one of New Mexico’s leading frontiersmen!
Juan Patron lived through one of the bloodiest chapters of the American West: the 1878 feud known as the Lincoln County War in New Mexico. Reputed for his heroics, Patron tried to tame a frontier plagued with violence, illiteracy and greed--first as a teacher, then as a desperado hunter, and eventually as speaker of the territorial house at age twenty-five, the youngest person to hold this position in New Mexico in history.
With keen, well-researched detail and the art of a master storyteller, author Paul Tsompanas leads us through Patron's life and times--and his fate at the hands of a Texas cowboy named Michael Maney, who outdrew him in a dramatic showdown. Many believe that, had he lived, Patron would have become New Mexico's first congressman when it entered the Union in 1912.
Smashwords ebook available here ($1.99)
Kindle ebook available here ($2.99)
Adder in the Path
A tragic chronicle of two families caught up in the Mormon War
Beautifully written and unflinchingly honest, Adder in the Path is a tragic chronicle of the Mormon War, and two very different families caught up in a maelstrom of intolerance and violence. It is a tale that teaches the fragility of human connection and the destruction caused by fanaticism and hypocrisy--crucial lessons that resonate long after the last word.
Smashwords ebook available here ($2.99)
Kindle ebook available here ($2.99)
Looking Through Great-Grandmother's Eyes
Piper’s summer with her great-grandmother shapes up to be way different than she expected.
Nine-year-old Piper Louise Conrad is sure that the summer of 1943 will be the worst summer of her life. The world is at war, her father is fighting in North Africa, and Piper must spend three whole months at her great-grandmother’s farm in Catlett, Virginia. Grandma Jessie doesn’t seem at all like the sweet old lady Piper’s mother described. She’s bossy and cranky. She doesn’t even seem to like Piper. But Piper is about to discover that she and her great-grandmother have more in common than she thinks. In fact, Grandma Jessie holds the key to a family history Piper never knew she had. Maybe, justmaybe, this summer might not be so bad after all.
Matzo Balls and Christmas Trees
The story of a first-generation Jewish-American woman, lovingly rendered by her daughter.
The holidays bring a special ache to those who have lost a loved one in December. The winter of 1974 rendered Randi Wolf Lauterbach a twenty-two-year-old orphan and changed her world forever. Thirty-seven years later, with the anniversaries of her parents’ deaths approaching, Randi’s mind was immersed in thoughts of her mother—thoughts clamoring to be recorded. A first-generation Jewish-American, Margaret Wolf possessed a sharp wit, a penchant for music and gambling, and a strong foothold in her cross-cultural community of family, friends, and neighbors. When she passed suddenly, the woman who had seemed larger than life became but a memory cradled in the hearts of those who knew her. But, oh, what memories she left! Framed with humor, nostalgia, and warmth, Matzo Balls and Christmas Trees paints a timeless portrait of familial love—a love that transcends life and death and is renewed with each passing season.
Fighting Hitler from the North Jersey Suburbs
A portrait of the American homefront during World War II, as remembered from childhood.
For children residing an ocean apart from the imminent dangers of World War II, the war’s effects were nonetheless felt in a way that shaped a generation. In Fighting Hitler from the North Jersey Suburbs, author James C. Berrall focuses a nostalgic lens on the American home front during the second great war, offering a child’s-eye view of the commotion and peculiarities of wartime. Drawing on his boyhood experiences, Berrall recalls everything from popular contemporary songs and radio programs to the looming anticipation of air raids and military invasions. A true portrait of an era, Fighting Hitler from the North Jersey Suburbs chronicles the formative years of both a young man and an emerging superpower.
The Man Called Jesus
Hanan’s life as a thief is changed when he meets the man called Jesus.
by T. F. Lloyd
The Romans rule Israel with an iron fist, and young Hanan is angry and conflicted. The soldiers murder his father and take their livestock, and he becomes sole provider for his mother. Yet without the cattle that had been his family’s livelihood, Hanan turns to a secret life of thievery. He manages to care for the family while keeping his ways hidden—until he pilfers a valuable Roman necklace and becomes a wanted man. Riddled with guilt and fear, he believes his fate is sealed. Only one beacon of light shines to give Hanan hope for removing his guilt and cleansing his soul: the man called Jesus. Hanan follows the teacher, feeding on his every word and miracle, hoping to find the salvation he craves, before it’s too late.
One Leaf in Time
Sylvia’s story of a childhood in Japanese-run internment camps in China during World War II.
One Leaf in Time chronicles the life of Sylvia Churchill Prince, born in Tientsin, China, where her father was a successful businessman. For the first eight years of Sylvia’s life, the Churchills enjoyed a life of luxury among a community of foreign businessmen and dignitaries. The outbreak of the Second World War brought that life to a sudden stop, as the Churchills were rounded up by Japanese occupiers and transported to an internment camp in Weihsien. Prince offers a warts-and-all description of camp life, describing the harsh treatment imposed by Japanese officials, but also the resilience of internees from countries across Europe and North America. As her account reveals, it was possible to find entertainment, respite, and even joy in an environment where danger was but one misstep away.
The Ride of Molly Tynes: A Tale Passed Down
written by Mary Alice Barksdale and Donna Jessie Fogelsong
illustrated Emily Hurst Pritchett
When Molly Tynes learns of an impending attack on a neighboring town, she mounts her horse without hesitation, risking life and limb to warn and protect her community. Four mountains, rough trails, and wild animals stand between Molly and her journey’s end. Through this legendary tale of a courageous Civil War-era woman, the storytelling tradition of Southwest Virginia lives on.