"Letters to Rodney" is a true life narrative of a young man coming of age during The Great Depression (1929-1939). The story begins on his father's farm, in rural western Maryland, when Rodney is sixteen years old. It continues as the young boy travels to Harrisburg, PA to live with an uncle and then progresses to tell Rodney's story of finding work in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The narrative contains illustrations from farm life as well as historical events, and is worked around actual letters written by his father to Rodney after he left home. It progresses year by year with historical reference to the election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his plan to help his impoverished nation. Through FDR's New Deal (expansive conservation projects that still stand today and are enjoyed by the public) hope was restored. Young men and women were given the opportunity to work, thus learning new skills and contributing to rebuilding the United States.
About the Author: "Letters to Rodney" is a personal project that has taken the author/illustrator several years to complete. Her goal was to have it published by December 2013, in celebration of what would have been her father Rodney's 100th birthday. But the book took a year beyond that to complete. When she cleaned out her parents' house years ago she discovered a box of nearly 120 old letters in her father's workshop. These were letters that his father had written to him during the Depression. She was fascinated that he had kept them there, all together in one place, for so many years. They were obviously very important to him. As she read through them, she realized what a family treasure these were. She also later realized what a great springboard they provided to tell the story that many Americans of that era experienced. She loves history, especially from the Depression time period. Writing and illustrating this book allowed her to not only tell her father's story but to teach young people valuable American history in the process. She believes that her grandfather's faithful and frequent letter writing was his way to continue parenting her father and keep him connected to the family, after circumstances of the Depression led her father to leave home at age sixteen. During that time, it was not uncommon for the oldest of large families to leave home or drop out of school to work in order to ease the burdens of the family. Throughout her narrative, which she created in her father's voice, she interspersed actual letters that her grandfather wrote. Some of the illustrations were based on old family photos. Some illustrations were based on references that she found in her research of the history. Eileen has been a working artist for over 25 years, and two of the most rewarding projects she has worked on were the two "personal" book projects she has done first for her family, secondly for others. This most recent endeavor, "Letters for Rodney," follows her first family project in 2006, "The Model Maker: A World War II Veteran's Story," which was a children's history story about her Uncle Bill and his experience in the Battle of the Bulge. Similar to using her father's letters to tell a story- in "The Model Maker" she uses the little model World War II airplanes her Uncle made of clothespins and popsicle sticks as a springboard to tell his story. Eileen's other artistic work can be seen at www.lettersource.com