Scottsville Road is a story that traces the history of two Western New York families, one fictitious and the other real, from the mid-nineteenth century up to the middle of the Great Depression in the 1930s. It's a tale based on a real event in the life of the author's father. With interesting characters who roam the historically rich territory of Western New York, Barth's creative non-fiction intertwines real members of his family with colorful fictional characters like Lefty Hubbard, an amateur boxer with a beautiful and sensitive wife; and Bosey Askew, Lefty's aging and patient trainer; and Tiny Tiller, an old friend who turns out to be Lefty's, as well as Barth's father's, benefactor. Sprinkled throughout the story are real characters like Lou Ambers, also known as The Herkimer Hurricane, who held the World Lightweight boxing title for many years in the 1930s; and William Muldoon who was from Allegany County, NY and trained John L. Sullivan to defeat Jake Kilrain in a 75 round bare knuckle fight; and Elbert Hubbard who founded the Roycrofters in East Aurora, NY and died when the Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat. The story's unexpected climax and its aftermath are an example of how "you reap what you sow," or "what goes around, comes around." It's an ending reminiscent of a Frank Capra movie, and it's certain to warm your heart.
About the Author: J. R. Barth grew up in Perry, NY, which is named after the hero of the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. After graduating from The Ohio State University and receiving a commission as an officer in the U. S. Army, he served with the 191st Assault Helicopter Company as a pilot and platoon leader in the Vietnam War in 1970-71. For almost twenty years he worked in corporate America and academia, then founded his own company in the financial services industry which operated until 2005 when he moved back to his home town. In 2013, he returned to Vietnam with his wife, Jessie, and held a visiting faculty position in the English Department at Quang Binh University in Dong Hoi, Vietnam for eight months. The same year he published a memoir of his combat experiences titled Shadows From Can Tho, which has since been developed into theater pieces in 2013 and 2017. His hobbies include running the 50-piece Perry Community Band and fly fishing for trout in the excellent waters of Western New York. He and his wife, who is also an author, have a family of two daughters and three sons, plus four grandchildren. They live in and write from their home in Perry, NY.