American Sojourn
"
A Son to War: Letter to GOD From a Quiet Spirit on the Home Front "
reprinted by permission of Gaines Highlander and Company
We had a 10,000 pre-publication unit order from the VA National Committee
for this book but unfortunately the car accident stopped
me in my tracks. Still, this remains one
of my favorite stories, as well as one of the earliest. People have had difficulty accepting Amos because he lacks formal
education, having to quit school in third grade to support his widowed mother and baby sister, but I think you will find he
has a deep understanding of life and a love for his God and Country that more than makes up for this. We watch as the two
oldest sons leave the farm in the Rural Midwest while Amos And Maude Amy remain at home with the three younger children during
World War II's sacrifice, rationing, and struggles on the Home Front. But this gentle book of Spelling Bee's, barn raising,
and neighbors helping neighbors reflects the stories I heard as a young child as The Old Folks spoke often of their youth
and young marriages and now that I am older, I think the times of struggle, such as live in now, can bring out the best in
us as a people. I hope Thee agree.
♣
" A Country Homecoming "
A one-hundred year old Judge from the Black circuit comes
to ask permission to die in the cabin in the meadow where he was born and raised. Vernon Emmet, Sicily's oldest boy child,
gives back as precious a gift as he requests of Amos and Maude Amy Webb, a view of their past and Maude Amy's family lost
to previous generations and a gift for each of their children as they face a future torn apart by strife and war.
♣
" America's
Child "
Despite his best efforts, Richard Webb is sent home from Korea when the Army discovers
he is underage, but when he went to Korea as a young soldier and fell in love with a Korea girl. he set events in motions
that profoundly altered their lives and those living on the Homestead. After a rape by three soldiers, she gives birth
to a dark skinned baby and commits suicide in shame without even giving "Beau" a chance to share his love. He brought
the girl home to the United States, properly, and now, grown and married with a young four year old son of her own "Sunny"
Webb is the only child of her generation willing to fight to keep the homestead intact...but is she willing to sacrifice her
family's chances happiness for the debt to the loving 'father' who raised her?
♣
"
'A' is for Amos, 'B' is Something You are, and 'C' is for Crystal Springs "
One of Amos and Maude Amy's grandsons inherits the family homestead and using modern techniques and crops,
he and his young country-born wife are determined not to lose the family home to the
growing threat of farm conglomerations as we share the first year of life with their twin children as the saga of the gentle
farmer and his family comes to an end...for now.
