Category: Story knitted out of Ancestral Data

Book Review | “Those Who Remain: Remembrance and Reunion After War” by Ruth W. Crocker

Posted Monday, 2 November, 2015 by jorielov , , 2 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I was approached to read a different book than the one I asked to read, as the original choice the publicist made for me didn’t feel like a good fit, to be honest. I asked to receive “Those Who Remain” because I have a strong connection to the war eras as I regularly read war dramas and historical fiction set during this period; yet I do not often think to pick up a work of non-fiction that is connected to the eras. I was thankful I could step out of my comfort zone and read a creative non-fiction account set during the Vietnam War. I received a complimentary copy of the “Those Who Remain” direct from the publicist at Claire McKinney Public Relations, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why letters and correspondences interest me within a story of a war drama:

Oft-times letters and correspondences are all that will remain after a war between wives and husbands; daughters and fathers; sons and mothers, etc. as war is an uncertain time of unforeseeable tragedy. The words etched into postcards, pieces of paper or scribbled onto napkins or other bits of mail become a lasting tribute to not only the person who gave those words to their loved ones but to the receiver who knew a bit of their thoughts before they passed. Not everyone perishes at war, but for the families who lose their relatives, the sudden separation and the lack of a proper good-bye is mind-numbingly anguishing for many years.

When it comes to reading war dramas in fiction, I appreciate the writers who fuse history and fact into their stories, but also allow a breath of connection between those at the front and those back home. Finding letters caught inside the tethers of a war drama is one way to anchour me into that story because of how important those letters were in reality. I read quite a lot of war dramas per year, but I also appreciate certain tv serials who augment the same connections I find in their fictional counterparts such as Foyle’s War and As Time Goes By. The latter had the plot focused on a missing letter which was never delivered and thus, became the impetus of how a soldier and a nurse reunited years later in their golden years.

The novel which illuminated the necessity for correspondence at war the best, I felt, was Letters from Skye a novel writ around the letters themselves; taking me to a new vein of reality of how a novel can be told. Reviewing this novel twice was a way I could give the author a second note of gratitude for how convicting her story moved my emotional heart.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com Book Review | “Those Who Remain: Remembrance and Reunion After War” by Ruth W. CrockerThose Who Remain
Subtitle: Remembrance and Reunion After War
by Ruth W. Crocker
Source: Direct from Publisher

She was 23 years old when she was widowed by war and rather than bury her husband in his coffin, she buried every memory of their brief life together. Forty years later she exhumed the grave and came to terms with her loss and her grief.

Nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2013 writer-teacher-actress Ruth W. Crocker brings her journey of love, loss, and inspiration to the page in her beautiful memoir THOSE WHO REMAIN: Remembrance and Reunion after War (Elm Grove Press).

Sometimes the reaction to loss is anger along with the need to be reckless and to search for meaning in what has happened. In THOSE WHO REMAIN, Ruth W. Crocker was propelled by her complex emotions at the time. On the one hand she needed to close the door on her previous life, and on the other she wanted to pay tribute to her husband's memory and escape from her grief. To this end she hiked up to the treacherous North Face of the Eiger, the most notorious mountain in the Swiss Alps, to spread her husband's ashes at the top of the climb they were supposed to do together.

Weaving her beautifully-written recollections with diary entries, letters between her and her husband, and conversations with his comrades, Ruth gives readers an intimate glimpse into the life of a woman who faced her fears and braved the forces of nature to learn that she could survive anything that came her way. A unique true story of grief and recovery with a surprising revelation, THOSE WHO REMAIN demonstrates the tenacious will of the human spirit to heal.


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781940863009

on 13th May 2014

Pages: 294

Published by: Elm Grove Press 

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

About Ruth W. Crocker

Ruth W. Crocker

Ruth W. Crocker, PhD, is a 2013 Pushcart Prize nominated author, writing consultant, and expert on recovery from trauma and personal tragedy. Her memoir Those Who Remain: Remembrance and Reunion After War describes her experience following her husband’s death in Vietnam and how she found resources for healing.

Crocker’s essays have been recognized in Best American Essays and her articles have been
featured in the Gettysburg Review, Grace Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, O-Dark-Thirty, and T.A.P.S. Magazine.

She received an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Bennington College, a PhD in Nutrition and Human Development from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Education from Tufts University. Along the way she also became a Registered Dietitian.

Crocker worked in health care administration and clinical nutrition before becoming a full-time writer. Currently, she is the Writer-In-Residence at Riverlight Wellness Center in Stonington, Connecticut, where she teaches the art of writing memoirs and personal essays to aspiring writers who want to express their own stories. She lives, cooks, and writes in Mystic, Connecticut.

Why the past (and the memories carried therein) can rekindle hope and our humanity’s will towards accepting grace:

There is a point in the story where Crocker mentions the true blessing of living histories (what my family refers to as the stories of our relatives and relations throughout our ancestral past) where we become tethered to our family through the living memories of people who lived before our own time. Sometimes these can be peppered with your living relatives recollections of their lives in the decades before your birth, but generally speaking, it’s a way to keep a tangible impression of your family’s journey through time refreshed and known for the generations who are coming down the line.

I appreciated these stories because they clarified a few finer points of the historical past where I found a bit of fault with lessons in school; as I was being given a wider picture than the option only to recount facts and tidbits someone else deemed worthy of my attention. In a conversation on Twitter earlier in 2015 (believe during #HistoricalFix; follow @HistoricalFix), it was mentioned that if historical fiction was taught in school (especially the authors of today or yesterday who conduct such impressive research to ground their stories) we would have a whole new appreciation for history as a whole. I tend to agree with this sentiment whole-heartedly because when the ‘past’ comes alive for me as I read a novel, it is a kind reminder of how much the past was ‘alive’ for me through the stories of my family. We have a need to make connections whilst we’re alive, it’s not only how we process information and keep a stronghold of knowledge vibrant and a part of who we are, it’s a way of how we internalise what we’re experiencing.

If we start to forget to share the stories, we will soon find ourselves without a path towards reacquiring the hope of where we’ve been and the joy of where we are about to venture forward next. Read More

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Posted Monday, 2 November, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, #NonFictionFriday, 21st Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Based on an Actual Event &/or Court Case, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Claire McKinney Public Relations, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Equality In Literature, Family Life, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, History, Indie Author, Memoir, Military Families of the Deployed, Non-Fiction, Political Narrative & Modern Topics, Postal Mail | Letters & Correspondence, Quakers, Special Needs Children, Story knitted out of Ancestral Data, The Vietnam War, Travel the World in Books, War Widow, War-time Romance, Warfare & Power Realignment

Blog Book Tour | “Redfield Farm” (a novel of the Underground Railroad) by Judith Redline Coopey Historical Fiction based on ancestral past of the author!

Posted Tuesday, 7 April, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By:

I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Redfield Farm” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of “Redfield Farm” direct from the author Judith Redline Coopey, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inspired to Read:

I had disclosed my connection to the Underground Railroad through my ancestral line whilst I interviewed the author, however, more to the point, I believe there will be a need to keep mindful of stories involving the Underground Railroad until such a time in our current timeline of history where racial intolerance and injustice is no longer a headline in the news media. Even as I penned my thoughts on behalf of this fictional story set within the time frame of the author’s historical past, I learnt of a new story emerging (courtesy of Twitter’s Trending Stories) which shows how far we still have to travel for the civil rights and liberties for all persons living in our country to be acknowledged and defended.

Fiction proves to seek a way forward in our national conscience and our conversation about where we need to strive to put a positive step forward towards change. Historical fiction gives us a way forward through acknowledging the past, seeing how history wronged individuals and how the courage of those who fought to free slaves caught in states who were not free to live on their own terms, truly helped make progress happen. It saddens me there are new issues facing us where we still do not live in a society where acceptance of our differences is not yet commonplace.

Writers such as Judith Redline Coopey are boldly taking a stand by providing readers with a compelling drama set during a tumultuous time in history which echoes forward a chilling reality readers today can sympathise with recognition.

Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission.

Blog Book Tour | “Redfield Farm” (a novel of the Underground Railroad) by Judith Redline Coopey Historical Fiction based on ancestral past of the author!Redfield Farm: A Novel of the Underground Railroad
by Judith Redline Coopey
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Book Synopsis of Redfield Farm:

Ann Redfield is destined to follow her brother Jesse through life – two years behind him – all the way. Jesse is a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and Ann follows him there as well.

Quakers filled with a conviction as hard as Pennsylvania limestone that slavery is an abomination to be resisted with any means available, the Redfield brother and sister lie, sneak, masquerade and defy their way past would-be enforcers of the hated Fugitive Slave Law.

Their activities inevitably lead to complicated relationships when Jesse returns from a run with a deadly fever, accompanied by a fugitive, Josiah, who is also sick and close to death. Ann nurses both back to health. But precious time is lost, and Josiah, too weak for winter travel, stays on at Redfield Farm. Ann becomes his teacher, friend and confidant. When grave disappointment disrupts her life, Ann turns to Josiah for comfort, and comfort leads to intimacy. The result, both poignant and inspiring, leads to a life long devotion to one another and their cause.

Read an Excerpt of the Novel

Genres: Historical Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780978924744

Also by this author:

Published by Indi Publishing Group

on 3rd August, 2010

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 280

Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards Badge created by Jorie in Canva. Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Published By: Indi Publishing Group 
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse on Twitter via: #JudithRedlineCoopey, #JudithRedlineCoopeyBlogTour

About Judith Redline Coopey

Judith Redline Coopey

Judith Redline Coopey, born in Altoona, PA holds degrees from the Pennsylvania State University and Arizona State University. A passion for history inherited from her father drives her writing and a love for Pennsylvania sustains it.

Her first book, Redfield Farm was the story of the Underground Railroad in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. The second, Waterproof, tells how the 1889 Johnstown Flood nearly destroyed a whole city and one young woman’s life. Looking For Jane is a quest for love and family in the 1890s brought to life through the eyes of Nell, a young girl convinced that Calamity Jane is her mother.

Her most recent work, The Furnace: Volume One of the Juniata Iron Trilogy, is set on an iron plantation near where she grew up and tells the story of an ill conceived marriage of convenience as it plays out over a lifetime. As a teacher, writer and student of history,

Ms Coopey finds her inspiration in the rich history of her native state and in stories of the lives of those who have gone before.

Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
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Posted Tuesday, 7 April, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 19th Century, African-American History, African-American Literature, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, History, Indie Author, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Quakers, Story knitted out of Ancestral Data, Underground Railroad, Vulgarity in Literature

Blog Book Tour | “Because of Love” by Shauna V. Brown an inspiring short story to encourage your heart & spirit into the joyfulness of the season!

Posted Sunday, 26 October, 2014 by jorielov , , , 2 Comments

Parajunkee Designs

Because of Love by Shauna V. Brown

Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Acquired Book By: 

I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Because of Love” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Interest in Reading:

One of my favourite sub-genres within literature are holiday stories, specifically those stories which take place around Thanksgiving to Christmas! I love being caught up in the happy joy of mirth the holiday season can bring, as much as it lends itself to an inspiring time in the year, where stories can help brighten up your day, as much as invigorate your soul! I love curling into the holiday films on Hallmark Channel throughout the season (although this year I think they are starting a wee bit early on Halloween!), because I know I’m going to be in for a season of surprises, goodwill, good hearted celebrations, inspiring stories of triumph over adversity, and a heap of joy! I love the simplicity of seeing how traditions and cultural differences intermix during holiday celebrations as much as I appreciate seeing historical and contemporary based stories as well.

I have always read quite a heap of holiday stories, focusing primarily on Christmas ever since I was a young girl – in fact, it was the Christmas novella collections put out by some of today’s beloved Romance writers that captured my heart the most as they were set during the Victorian age, where families still gathered together in such a joyfully big way that the traditions and rituals that went along with their family’s celebratory cheer felt comfortable and welcoming! A dash of romance never hurt, either! Short stories interested me back then, but it took fantasy to bring me back to the short story as a length of story I would enjoy reading more regularly!

When I first saw Because of Love go on tour, I thought to myself this would be the perfect keepsake short story to read, cherish, and start to get into the holiday spirit! I had no idea of course, my fortnight leading up to my tour stop would be full of technical woes and the day of my stop would be consumed by a migraine! Let me simply say, that as I read this short story ahead of posting this review, aside from the cinnamon toast and the peppermint tea to forestall my migraine from thundering back to me, this short not only uplifted me on a day I felt a bit consumed, but it re-affirmed the happiness the season we’re all about to walk into brings to each of us.

Blog Book Tour | “Because of Love” by Shauna V. Brown an inspiring short story to encourage your heart & spirit into the joyfulness of the season!Because of Love
by Shauna V. Brown

All Phoebe Brown wants for Christmas is three pairs of beautiful, high-button brown shoes - one pair for each of her daughters. But her husband Byron is sure their basic heavy boots are fine. With a little money to spare, Phoebe launches a secret plan to earn the shoes herself. What follows is a season of surprises for the whole family!

Inspired by real pioneer events, this heartwarming holiday tale is the perfect stocking stuffer to share with your family and friends. Touching and tender, it will remind you that the best gifts come wrapped in ribbons of forgiveness, understanding, and a true change of heart.

Genres: Christmas Story &/or Christmas Romance, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Short Story or Novella



Places to find the book:

Published by Sweetwater Books

on 14th October, 2014

Format: Paperback

Pages: 96

About Shauna V. Brown

Shauna V. Brown

Graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in speech and drama, communication, has provided Shauna V. Brown with many opportunities to use her talents. She has written and directed original plays and presentations for church and community. She has shared her musical talents, numerous scripts and presentations with pioneer trek groups for the past eighteen years. Shauna has equally enjoyed being a guest speaker and presenter at BYU Education Week, women’s conferences, firesides and community presentations.

Shauna and her husband, Rick, are blessed with six children and fourteen grandchildren. For the past twenty-two years, Shauna has written an original Christmas story as a gift to neighbors and friends.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

My Review of Because of Love:

The story opens on the cusp of a mother finding out one of her young daughters is being bullied and harassed by school children, who for whichever reason felt it necessary to devise a song to sing about her physical appearance and condition of her boots. The vexation of her mother brought me back to my own childhood, where I too, was regularly bullied and went in search of my Mum to not only temper the emotions that would swirl inside me but to sort out why children have to behave so unjustly to others they barely know but choose to attack. Josephine is a young girl of seven years, when her classmates start to torment her about the how her legs are off-set against the heaviest of her boots. A simple observation and yet a devastating one if turnt ugly out of spite.

Her mother, and sisters (Sadie and Ida) sat with her in the field grass as they listened to the story their Mum shared from her own past, where forgiveness wasn’t as easily given but truly the only way to set one’s heart and mind free. Misunderstandings are just as easily hurtful as outward spite and the cruelty of childhood bullies who never realise the irksome turmoil they inflict because they are too consumed by focusing on what they feel is right in the moment. Their mother was trying to point out a lesson from the experience but not to distract her daughters from the difficulty of finding bravery in the face of meanness.

I started to reflect on watching Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons as I loved both programmes equally for how they shined a positive light on community and family values. They also dealt with bullying behaviour and the aftereffects it can have on children of different ages. I think it is always a lesson that needs to be presented in different ways through different stories, because in today’s world being bullied has taken on new definition and has caused more than spilt tears.

The parents of the children have two distinctive points of view on the topic of which type of boot or shoe their three daughters should wear to school. For the father, Bryon he’s most concerned about superficiality on appearance being attractive to his daughters where pride could take their central focus over being humble. Whereas their Mum Phoebe simply wants to find a balance between what is practical (the clunky heavy boots) and what is considered a feminine option for women. They are approaching the topic from two separate schools of thought, and what had me winking out a knowing grin, is that both of them were right but for different reasons!

I was caught up in the blissitude of watching Phoebe earn her keep towards surprising her girls and Bryon at the same time for Christmas; whilst the family started to settle into the joy of having family coming round with the tree! Tree trimming was always one of my favourite times during December, as it always brought back a swirl of memories; most of which were happy but on the years of loss being sustained a bit bittersweet as well. Needless, a tree needs to be trimmed before Christmas is welcomed in and the act of unwrapping the ornaments both store bought and handmade was always a conversation waiting to expand into a recollective memory we could all share together! I loved reading the simple joys of homemade crafting and homemade cooking, warming not only the spirits of her loved ones as Phoebe created her gifts out of love but instilling her passion into her joys and keeping a firm warmth around her loved ones. It is love that stitched itself throughout this short story, of a two parents who would move the earth itself if it meant giving a small seed of faith and hope to their daughters. I hope that everyone who picks up this story this holiday season will be renewed in spirit and have a happy flutter of a dance of light in their eyes as they read one family’s story of fortitude and blessed thanksgiving of family.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

This Blog Tour Stop is courtesy of Cedar Fort, Inc:

Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Virtual Road Map of “Because of Love” Blog Tour can be found here:

Because of Love Blog Tour via Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Be sure to check out my schedule for Bookish Events!

I positively *love!* comments in the threads below each of my posts, kindly know that I appreciate each thought you want to share with me and all the posts on my blog are open to new comments & commentary! Short or long, I appreciate the time you spent to leave behind a note of your visit! Return again soon!

{SOURCES: Author photograph, Book Cover of “Because of Love”, the Cedar Fort badge, the Book Synopsis, and the Author Biography were provided by Cedar Fort, Inc. and used by permission. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Sunday, 26 October, 2014 by jorielov in 19th Century, American Old West, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Family Drama, Family Life, Father-Daughter Relationships, Historical Fiction, Homestead Life, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Lessons from Scripture, Old West Americana, Short Fiction, Short Stories or Essays, Siblings, Sisters & the Bond Between Them, Story knitted out of Ancestral Data, Western Fiction