By Richard C. Lukas
Genre: Memoir/ Drama / Humor
Accidentally sitting on a live torpedo was just another north of Boston during World War II.
A collection of real-life stories …
From the somber church bells that marked soldiers’ funerals to the funny cast of characters from an extended Polish American family all living under one roof, these vivid stories will make you feel like you were there. With all kinds of life lessons, this book is very relevant for today’s readers. There are tales about kindness and compassion and, for one young boy, how to avoid punishment for his many transgressions. Humorous, sometimes poignant, these stories from Lukas’s life are about the things that connect us all – our childhood experiences and our families, whatever shape they may take.
About the Author: Richard Lukas is a historian and author of eight books on World War II and Poland. Perhaps his most notable work is The Forgotten Holocaust, also available translated in Polish. As a retired professor, Lukas wanted to take a closer look at the events that shaped him and sparked his fascination with World War II. Out of that came this book of memoirs. The Torpedo Season: Growing Up During World War II is available on Amazon.
This book is a treasure trove of stories about a young boy on a journey to becoming a young man in the midst of World War II. I learned so much more about Polish-American culture and the impact that had on his childhood. Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, the stories in Lukas’s memoir reflect universal themes that anyone of any background can relate to.