Author Richard Deatherage, tells us his heart felt coming of age story, as he struggles through his unemployment during the recession of 2009. While visiting his ailing father, he go's up and down his parents stairway, walls filled with the family photos of his childhood. Soon a parade of memories comes flooding over him as he remises the untold stories of his youth with his parents, moving from air base to air base every four years while traveling through America, as a United States Air Force Brat "USAFB", he witnessed the racism of the Deep South of the late 1960's, to the bonding with his siblings in the wild Indiana countryside of the 1970's, to his fathers retirement from the military service, that takes them all back to California in 1976, with the chance at a new beginning. Follow the protagonist in so many ways, through his misadventures, mistakes, wins and losses, at its nadir, find the joy and pain spending precious time at a passing fathers side, well crafted, honest and beautifully written, fight, laugh, love and cry at one of the most amazing stories of a lifetime. Grady Harp July 19, 2019 top 100 Amazon hall of fame contributors, recommended for all readers of all ages...Remember pencils....? "Designing and Drafting homes became my passion" Author Richard Deatherage has created a memoir that will likely be a standard toward which all future memoirists will reach. Not only is the book beautifully written as a coming of age story, but it also is a reflection on Americana - the way we have lived and the impact of history on our families and our lives.In a sensitive prologue, Richard writes, "Our American way of life has given each of us the individual challenge to become successful in our own individual way, with all the opportunities and common freedoms to mold yourself into a career field you have chosen. The evolution of my early childhood had set forth an abundance of confidence early on in my life. To make difficult decisions and to change easily to what ever came my way - continuing to this day. My adventures growing up in the 1960's and 70's throughout America as an official United States Air Force Brat (USAFB) had given me a unique perspective on our American way of life."Deatherage recounts his witnessing racism, family struggles while his father served in Vietnam, absorbing the Midwestern life style while moving as a military family every four years, and his eventual settling in California, his passion for drafting discovered in Mechanical Drafting class in high school, to his successful career as a carpenter, draftsman, builder and construction superintendent, has lead in the blossoming of Sacramento area, the abrupt change in his life brought about by the infamous 2008 economic crash, and ultimately the death of his beloved father, All of this saga is related with the warmth that makes this book memorable. One aspect of Richard's novel - and indeed it does become a story worth of the term novel - is the manner in which he writes. Yes, there are typos and spelling errors and misplaced modifiers, but strangely, these "flaws" make reading the book more credible. There is an innocence here that is reminiscent of milder times, the aspects of yesteryear that continue to provide us with hope for a better tomorrow. The impact and importance of family is securely placed front and center- a treasured aspect of this fine memoir. Gary Harp -2019Self Publisher Review 4.5 stars" The Last Lead Holders is a tightly written memoir that will make readers laugh, cry, reminisce and dream of simpler times - although the times were never actually simple at all. Yet while nostalgia plays a big part of the story, the powerful themes are universal for everyone to remember, regardless of their generation. A painful and powerful story of American life, The Last Lead Holder is highly recommended.