It’s A Book Thing Presents: An Interview with Brian Berkey, author of So Long, Bob: A Pennsylvania Farm Boy's Letters Home from the War 1941-1945
Author’s Bio: Brian received his chemical engineering degree from
the University of Pittsburgh in 1974 and has worked in the chemical industry,
primarily in the environmental, health and safety area since then. Brian
is also an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren and serves as a
part-time pastor at two small churches. In that role he has written and
delivered more than 500 sermons.
He lives in Elkton, MD with his
wife, Emily and has two sons and seven grandchildren. While he has worked
as an engineer during his adult life, he has had a life-long passion for all
types of history as well as his family history. Brian has taken letters from
his father and two uncles and diary entries from his grandmother with some
headlines from the Johnstown Tribune into two books about the experiences of
his family during the extraordinary time of World War II.
Deliah Lawrence: What inspired
you to write your book?
Brian Berkey: When I was
given the letters that my father and two of his brothers wrote home during
their time serving in World War II, I felt like it would make a good way to
tell the story of the war from the standpoint of an ordinary farm family caught
up in the extraordinary circumstances of the war.
DL: What obstacles did you encounter while writing this book?
BB: The biggest was probably
all the time I had to spend going through the old newspapers (the Johnstown
Tribune) on microfilm to pick out the headlines and stories about the
war. I spent many days in the library in Johnstown doing this.
Having grown up in Johnstown and being very interested in local history in
general, it was hard to stay focused on the task at hand.
DL: Is there a specific author or book that influenced you in any way either
growing up or as an adult?
BB: Rick Atkinson’s and Ian
Toll’s books about World War II. Stephen Ambrose’s books, David G.
McCullough’s books about the Panama Canal and the Revolutionary War.
DL: If you were hosting a dinner
party which three authors, past or present, would be your dream guests and
why?
BB: Stephen Ambrose, David G.
McCullough, and William L. Shirer. I respect all of these men as authors and
they have provided books that can help us understand our history and some
insights into why things are the way they are today. I feel we are losing
our understanding of history today which makes us vulnerable to repeating the
mistakes that have been made in the past.
DL: What tips would you give to aspiring writers?
BB: Stick with it and don’t be discouraged by how hard it can be to get your books into the public eye.
DL: What are three books you’ll
never part with?
BB: It is hard to pick just
three, but the list would include: Path Between the Seas – David G.
McCullough; The Longest Day – Cornelius Ryan; The Pacific War Trilogy
– Ian Toll.
DL: What are three fun facts about yourself?
BB: I have seven
grandchildren (6 girls), I am very interested in old tractors and farm
equipment (I mow my grass with a 74-year-old tractor), I am a die-hard fan of
the Pittsburgh Pirates even though they have not been relevant in years.
DL: Would you like to share an excerpt from So Long Bob?
BB: Sure, here you go:
Annie Berkey Diary excerpts from
1941
November 23 – It has been a long
time since I did any writing in this book. It does not seem long. I
can hardly believe summer is over. It was a good year, the crops were
good, the boys had all the work they could do. I guess this brings us up
to today. We had our Thanksgiving dinner today because Bob must go to
Camp Meade tomorrow. Yes, he was “caught in the draft”. We had a
very good dinner, had two big rabbits and half of a ham and other good
things. The family was all there, 20 of us.
November 24 – Weather cold, Alva
went to work in Bob’s place at Hoffmans. While Bob, poor fellow! had to
go to camp. I feel, and I think the others do, as if we just had a
funeral. This was one of the saddest days of my life. I would
gladly give him if it were for a worthwhile cause, but I do not believe any war
can end wars.
Note: He is also the author of Airplanes, Palm Trees and War
DL: What new projects are you currently working on?
BB: I am working on a book
about my grandmother, Annie Reitz Berkey. She was a remarkable woman who
went to college in 1898, raised 9 children on a farm through two World Wars,
the Spanish Flu pandemic, and the Great Depression. Her husband died
while working on the farm. She watched one of her daughters suffer and die from
cancer, saw three of her sons go off to war, and yet she maintained her faith
and coped with all of the turmoil in her life. We could learn a lot about
resiliency from her.
DL: Where can readers learn more about you and purchase your book(s)?
BB: Readers can get more information
here:
Website: https://bdberkey.wordpress.com/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/So-Long-Bob-Pennsylvania-1941-1945/dp/164468313X
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086128428492
DL: Thanks so much for being
here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy getting to know you and your
work.
BB: Thanks very much for
this!
He lives in Elkton, MD with his
wife, Emily and has two sons and seven grandchildren. While he has worked
as an engineer during his adult life, he has had a life-long passion for all
types of history as well as his family history. Brian has taken letters from
his father and two uncles and diary entries from his grandmother with some
headlines from the Johnstown Tribune into two books about the experiences of
his family during the extraordinary time of World War II.
Deliah Lawrence: What inspired
you to write your book?
Brian Berkey: When I was
given the letters that my father and two of his brothers wrote home during
their time serving in World War II, I felt like it would make a good way to
tell the story of the war from the standpoint of an ordinary farm family caught
up in the extraordinary circumstances of the war.
DL: What obstacles did you encounter while writing this book?
BB: The biggest was probably
all the time I had to spend going through the old newspapers (the Johnstown
Tribune) on microfilm to pick out the headlines and stories about the
war. I spent many days in the library in Johnstown doing this.
Having grown up in Johnstown and being very interested in local history in
general, it was hard to stay focused on the task at hand.
DL: Is there a specific author or book that influenced you in any way either
growing up or as an adult?
BB: Rick Atkinson’s and Ian
Toll’s books about World War II. Stephen Ambrose’s books, David G.
McCullough’s books about the Panama Canal and the Revolutionary War.
DL: If you were hosting a dinner
party which three authors, past or present, would be your dream guests and
why?
BB: Stephen Ambrose, David G.
McCullough, and William L. Shirer. I respect all of these men as authors and
they have provided books that can help us understand our history and some
insights into why things are the way they are today. I feel we are losing
our understanding of history today which makes us vulnerable to repeating the
mistakes that have been made in the past.
DL: What tips would you give to aspiring writers?
BB: Stick with it and don’t be discouraged by how hard it can be to get your books into the public eye.
DL: What are three books you’ll
never part with?
BB: It is hard to pick just
three, but the list would include: Path Between the Seas – David G.
McCullough; The Longest Day – Cornelius Ryan; The Pacific War Trilogy
– Ian Toll.
DL: What are three fun facts about yourself?
BB: I have seven
grandchildren (6 girls), I am very interested in old tractors and farm
equipment (I mow my grass with a 74-year-old tractor), I am a die-hard fan of
the Pittsburgh Pirates even though they have not been relevant in years.
DL: Would you like to share an excerpt from So Long, Bob?
BB: Sure, here you go:
Annie Berkey Diary excerpts from
1941
November 23 – It has been a long
time since I did any writing in this book. It does not seem long. I
can hardly believe summer is over. It was a good year, the crops were
good, the boys had all the work they could do. I guess this brings us up
to today. We had our Thanksgiving dinner today because Bob must go to
Camp Meade tomorrow. Yes, he was “caught in the draft”. We had a
very good dinner, had two big rabbits and half of a ham and other good
things. The family was all there, 20 of us.
November 24 – Weather cold, Alva
went to work in Bob’s place at Hoffmans. While Bob, poor fellow! had to
go to camp. I feel, and I think the others do, as if we just had a
funeral. This was one of the saddest days of my life. I would
gladly give him if it were for a worthwhile cause, but I do not believe any war
can end wars.
DL: What new projects are you currently working on?
BB: I am working on a book
about my grandmother, Annie Reitz Berkey. She was a remarkable woman who
went to college in 1898, raised 9 children on a farm through two World Wars,
the Spanish Flu pandemic, and the Great Depression. Her husband died
while working on the farm. She watched one of her daughters suffer and die from
cancer, saw three of her sons go off to war, and yet she maintained her faith
and coped with all of the turmoil in her life. We could learn a lot about
resiliency from her.
DL: Where can readers learn more about you and purchase your book(s)?
BB: Readers can get more information
here:
- Website: https://bdberkey.wordpress.com/
- Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/So-Long-Bob-Pennsylvania-1941-1945/dp/164468313X
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086128428492
DL: Thanks so much for being
here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy getting to know you and your
work.
BB: Thanks very much for
this!
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