Book Review: Memorial Road

By Farris Yawn

Those of us lucky enough to have grown up near our extended family know so well that gatherings are usually full of food, fun and a lot of stories stories that would become family legends or the source of good-natured ribbing. Many, however, were a firsthand account of life in times we only learned about from movies or textbooks.

Like many folks my age (or older), I wish I could go back to my grandfathers knee, and hear those stories one more time (and perhaps write them down this time). Ginger Povelites did just that. She sat down with her grandfather, a WWII veteran, and recorded his stories about war and his experience in Europe.

She faithfully transcribed his words into Memorial Road. His story is humorous at times, such as when he accidently robbed a Nazi bank and used the money to rebuild a towns brewery, which was the people in that towns only source of income. It was also horrifying at times, like when he liberated a concentration camp. He earned five bronze service stars during his service as a combat engineer and Army Ranger, from D-Day through December of 1945. The book also includes haunting photos from the camps that have probably never been published before.

The men and women of The Greatest Generation will soon be gone from our lives, but hopefully never forgotten. For the most part, they dont feel they did anything special, they just did what needed to be done. Im glad we have the story of John Calvin Estes, in his own words, and through him, we also have the stories of the men who served with him, so that their stories can live on.

Whether youre a WWII buff looking for a different perspective on the war, or just enjoy a good story, I highly recommend Memorial Road.

Memorial Road ($16.95, ISBN: 9781936815319) is available at Yawns Publishing in Downtown Canton and on Amazon.com.