Fields of the Fatherless

Post date: Apr 29, 2014 5:58:21 PM

Join us for an afternoon of young adult historic fiction! Elaine Marie Cooper will be reading and speaking on Sat. May 17th at 2:00pm at the Smith Museum in the Jason Russell House at 7 Jason St. From the press release:

History has well-documented the skirmishes between American colonists and British forces at Lexington and Concord that triggered the American Revolution in April 1775. Lesser known is that the deadliest fighting of the day took place down the road in Menotomy Village, which is now Arlington. Cooper’s book,Fields of the Fatherless, brings the harrowing yet inspiring days of April 1775 to life.

The story is told through the eyes of Betsy Russell, 18-year-old daughter of the real-life Jason Russell, who was killed on his home’s front step. Though some details are fictionalized, Cooper’s story is guided by eyewitness accounts plus the historic record of the battle and ensuing events.

Fields of the Fatherless is Cooper’s fourth book examining the Revolution and early America. This book benefits from her deep understanding of the time and the empathy she has for the people of a small village caught up in the turn of history.

During her talk, she will read from Fields of the Fatherless, discuss what village women and children experienced the day of the battle, and talk about what draws her to this story.

This event is free and open to the public. Also, it should be awesome.