O’Neal School Student Has Family Story Published in World War II Collection
ST. LOUIS, MO. Jan. 25, 2016-Molly Kuzma, daughter of Charlie and Christine Kuzma of Foxfire, has a historical family story published in “Echoes from World War II: Young Writers Sharing Family Stories.” “Echoes from World War II” has been published by The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration in honor of its tenth anniversary.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in St. Louis, The Grannie Annie invites students in U.S. grades 4 through 8, and homeschooled and international students of comparable ages, to interview an older relative, write a story about something from their family’s history, share their story with their extended family and community, and submit their story to The Grannie Annie for possible publication in an annual volume.
“Echoes” is The Grannie Annie’s first themed collection. The forty-six stories published in “Echoes” – from student authors in seventeen U.S. states plus India and Moldova – had previously been published in one of The Grannie Annie’s annual volumes. Molly’s story, titled “Clearing the Way,” was first published in “Grannie Annie, Vol. 10,” in May 2015. The story tells about Molly’s grandfather, who had dreamed of being a fighter pilot stationed on an aircraft carrier or a mighty battleship. Instead he was assigned the job of radio operator on a tiny minesweeper, seeing action around southern Japan near the end of the war.
Individually, the stories in “Echoes” are compelling and varied, taking place on battlefields, in prison camps, and in homes in twenty countries around the world. Collectively, the stories embody the war itself, beginning with Hitler’s rise to power and ending with the sentiments of a Japanese-American twenty-five years after the war’s end.
In his foreword to “Echoes” Jody Sowell, Director of Exhibitions and Research at the Missouri History Museum writes, “The stories included here offer personal and powerful perspectives on World War II and what it meant to the people who lived through this period in our history. . . . These young authors – these young historians – are doing incredibly important and engaging work.”
“Echoes” is intended for readers age nine and older, including adults. When diverse generations read the book together, the stories are likely to inspire conversations about their own family’s stories and their own family’s involvement in history. In addition, seeing how people, including children, responded to the challenges of war can inspire, encourage, and strengthen young people in today’s world to face their own challenges.
“Echoes from World War II” is available as a paperback book ($14.95) and will soon be available as an eBook ($9.95). It can be purchased from Amazon.com<http://www.amazon.c
Learn more about The Grannie Annie, and read all of the stories published to date, at www.TheGrannieAnnie.org<http:/