A young Canadian woman escapes her abusive father by disguising herself as a man and seeking refuge in the United States, a country about to be torn apart by civil war. Though able to claim neutrality as a foreigner, she finds it impossible to turn her back on an enslaved people and risks everything to continue her masquerade and join the fight to free them. As a Union soldier, she learns that neither the constant fear of being unmasked nor the danger she faces under fire can compare to the unrelenting peril she must endure as a spy behind Confederate lines. But when her lover is captured and imprisoned, she learns that love can drive her to take even greater risks. Soldier Girl Blue is based on the remarkable true story of Sarah Emma Edmunds of New Brunswick, Canada, a little known Civil War heroine.
The year is 1918 and the world is mired in the ‘Great War.’ Benjamin Kyner, a poor farmer from rural Pennsylvania who is reeling from a father’s worst nightmare, discovers his son’s fiancé, Eleanor, has given birth to their disabled child and has been disowned by her parents. Amid the turmoil of war and a world ravaged by the worst epidemic since the Black Plague, Benjamin finds himself crippled by his own self-doubt as he struggles with the overwhelming implications of accepting Eleanor and his disabled grandchild. If he fails, he will lose his last remaining chance at happiness. Fighting for Eleanor are Father James Templeman, who, torn between his humanity and his Church, is struggling with a tragic secret, and Randy Bridgewater, a playboy-turned-fighter pilot, who is sinking into the depths of alcoholism as he fights his own demons of guilt. In the background is Hiram Bolt, Benjamin’s gentle farmhand, descended from slaves, who strives to hold them all together in a world that has seen far too much pain and suffering.
The Benjamin’s Field trilogy follows a family over the course of sixty years through war, peace, triumph, tragedy, heartbreak, and final happiness from the viewpoint of its youngest member, Jeremy Kyner.
More a philosophical treatment of the human condition than a mere fictional story, the Benjamin’s Field trilogy is an interwoven tapestry of parables that explore various aspects of human existence, such as the role of family loyalty versus individual need, personal liberty and how it relates to society’s demands, religious prejudice, racism, intolerance, the role of charity, and the overwhelming need for humans to forgive one another.
In Book Two, Ascent, Jeremy Kyner, now a teenager, becomes the focus of his teacher’s animosity because of his infirmity.
Jeremy’s grandfather, Benjamin Kyner, his hired hand, a Catholic priest, a Jewish blacksmith, a courageous girl, a societal misfit, and an unwitting class bully form an unlikely, and at times volatile, partnership to rescue him from the smothering grip of prejudice. With their help, Jeremy literally takes to the sky, defeating his teacher’s plans to institutionalize him and forcing her to reveal her own, dark, secret.
Finally, Randy Bridgewater, the long-absent best friend of Jeremy’s dead war-hero father, emerges from the past with a surprise twist that propells the reader toward the dramatic conclusion of the Benjamin’s Field Trilogy.
The Benjamin’s Field Trilogy follows a family over the course of sixty years through war, peace, triumph, tragedy, heartbreak, and final happiness as they learn that the people and institutions meant to sustain society often fail – with tragic results.
Book Three: Emancipation, opens as America is on the cusp of World War II. Jeremy Kyner, now a man, is barred from military service at a time when America is almost defenseless against marauding German submarines. Finally joining the newly formed Civil Air Patrol that represents the country’s best hope to counter the Germans, Jeremy confronts a deadly enemy from an unexpected quarter and – with help from an astonishing source – is offered a chance of achieving final emancipation.
Historically accurate and filled with adventure, Benjamin’s Field: Emancipation,is a thrilling finale to the Benjamin’s Field Trilogy.
Seventeen original stories by English-speaking authors from various corners of the globe. Some of the stories are potpourri, subtle clouds of poignant fragrances, while others are awash with the stench of human evils. Some open wide windows to the smallest of domestic detail, and some observe cogs in the greatest of cataclysms. This book has everything from humor to fantasy to true-to-life historic fictions, even to a gaze into possible futures.
Perfect for the guest room, the night stand, or even the bathing room with stories one can read in a single soaking – or before turning the light out at night.