Bücher von Sherman L Smith

The world was different when The Greatest Generation was young. Many had never ventured more than a few miles from their home towns. What they knew about the outside world came from newsreels, for those who could afford to go to the movies. By 1939 much of the rest of the world was at war. On December 7th, 1941, we were slapped out of our depression era isolation to face the hard truth. While there was a draft, many signed up because there was a job to do - the world was on fire and some one had to put it out. This is the story of seven imperfect members of that generation, their lives from 1932 through the war years ending in 1946 at a Veteran's Hospital in San Francisco. Their story is global, of romance, and tragedy, the music of their generation echoing beyond their years. No one wanted to be a hero. In the end all they wanted was to come home. No one wanted war and few wanted to be heroes. Duty called in many guises but whether it was on a convoy ship in the frigid Artic, a cruiser in the Dutch East Indies, or a nurse in San Francisco , they did their duty, and when it was over all they wanted was to go home. The depression honed the character of the 317 men who lost their lives at the battle of Midway, and the many battles before and after. The story begins in 1932, concluding in 1946 at the Veteran's Hospital as strangers coming to terms with their common experience. The author uses the news reels of the times as the transitional voice.

The sound of Michael O'Dea's tenor saxophone echoed across the night skies and hills above Sausalito, California.For those who heard, it was haunting, mysterious, and heart-rendering, his soul seemingly speaking to the world. From his solitary perch on the roof of the Bayview Boarding House Michael's eyes were set on San Francisco where he had once been part of the music scene. Micheal knew how people saw him because he was remarkably ugly - his appearance enough to cause the Devil to scurry home for more appealing company. Michael never thought that he would be kissed by a woman; let alone, marry a woman as beautiful as Mollie. That she loves him challenged his manhood, making his loneliness even harder to bare. There are those in the boarding house who do not welcome him because he is ugly; a freak. It is the ugly side of their discontent that helps Michael overcome his own anguish, finding the courage to stand up for what is right, for Mollie, and to help new friends rise above their own. A Catholic priest who has lost his faith. The boarding house manager, who had been pushed down the stairs, now trapped in a wheelchair. A fisherman and refugee from Equator wanted for a crime he did not commit. A grizzly bear sized thug who struggles to keep his boss, an addict who suffers from PTSD, from his murderous rages. A middle aged woman who takes pride in making everyone her enemy. A superstitious elderly woman who fights against the ravages of age with unwavering spirit. A musically gifted transgender savant. A timid salesman, who partners with a charismatic conman, who rob the thieves, as they rob the luxurious Del Monte Lodge at Pebble Beach. The Bayview House sold, eviction notices given, the conman uses the ill-gotten money to buy a larger hotel and nightclub where Michael's music is no longer a lonely serenade.

On April 18th, 1906, a titanic earthquake jarred the citizens of San Francisco awake, not long after dozens of small fires burned. Three of those fires grew, eventually destroying over five hundred square blocks of the fabled city by the Golden Gate.Many of the survivors, rendered homeless, were forced to live in ill-prepared tent camps where shortages, government ineptitude, and corruption ruled the day. 'Never Stop Looking Down the Road' is a work of historical fiction telling the story of eight of the survivors, the hardships they endured during the three days and nights in which the city burned. Strangers, starting over, in a barren polo field in Golden Gate Park, the economic and social structure of the city forever changed. An old buffalo soldier brings hope by simply looking down that road for opportunity.