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MWSA Review
In Tri-State Heroes of ’45, author Rupert Pratt collects various writings from 1945 from the tri-state corner of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia with to compile this fascinating look into history of a wartime farm family and their neighbors. Pratt provides a framework for his book with the daily journal entries of his mother and his younger 12-year-old self, focused almost entirely on domestic doings and his own present-day memories as well as commentaries on the wider world and the war. But the bulk of the book—reprints of newspaper columns devoted to local military service members from the Huntington Herald-Dispatch and Herald-Advertiser—keeps the emphasis, as Pratt intends, on “the military service of Tri-State men and women.”
The book is masterfully put together. Pratt divides it into chapters, one per month, from January 1945 to January 1946, with chapter subtitles suggesting his alternating double focus on both the home front and the war: “February: Allies Advance, Nazis Flee”; “March: Welcome Spring, High Waters”; “November: Flu, Monopoly”; “December: Troops Homeward Bound.” He includes a number of photographs and reproductions of newspaper advertisements that add considerable local color to the text. An Index of People mentioned in the book, along with the date of the reference, provides a useful way for readers to identify family members and others.
The author has done a laudable service in meticulously transcribing and reproducing a years’ worth of newspapers columns, and in so doing has offered the public a valuable research tool. His book will be most appealing to the Pratt family (who might want to skip through each chapter, reading mostly the journal entries by Pratt and his mother, along with Pratt’s commentaries) and to families and other researchers who want to know more about the wartime postings, decorations, injuries and deaths of these “tri-state heroes.” At least for one reader, the long litanies of these heroes’ names offered a surprising response: as I read through the columns devoted to the military men and women, I found myself not only moved to thanks and appreciation for their service to our country, but to a peaceful acceptance of all life offers.
Review by Nancy Arbuthnot (February 2021)
Author's Synopsis
In Tri-State Heroes of '45: Together with a Year in the Life of a West Virginia Farm Family, Rupert Pratt shares the moments and memories woven into the fascinating history of the final year of World War II.
This compilation of local, national, and world events from 1945 showcases the diverse area where West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky converge, seen through the perspective of rural life on a little farm in Salt Rock, West Virginia.
Tri-State Heroes of '45 hangs on a framework of diary entries of Pratt’s mother, who was thirty-seven that year, while Pratt himself was the young age of twelve. Filled with echoes from the avalanche of events that defined that year, the daily life on Pratt’s small farm presents a unique mosaic that tells an unforgettable tale of faith, family, and hope on the home front.
Packed with encouraging vignettes, the book honors the military service members of the Tri-State, with “mini stories” that appeared in Huntington, West Virginia newspapers. These personalized stories shed light on the tragedies, awards, and survival in the war zones, as well as the relationships that strengthened the resilience of soldiers and civilians alike.
Residents of the Tri-State will reminisce with appreciation as they look back at the year in which their relatives and friends played a vital role in preserving our nation.
ISBN/ASIN: 13: 978-1-6312-9915-5, 13: 978-1-6312-9916-2
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 524