The New Baby Brother
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the children’s book “The Phantom Tollbooth,” a book that helps explain some of life’s complications through a mix or fantasy … Continue reading
Money Grubbing
As the weather cools down and summer draws to an end the company of letters becomes all the more comforting. This letter illustrates the importance of sharing the small, seemingly mundane … Continue reading
Gunman 2: Some Guys Had Daggers In Their Eyes
Some of the more nuanced relationships between the sailors come out in this letter. I am excited to read some details about Alex’s life on the ship. Alex compares his … Continue reading
You Smelt of Ether and I of Booze
This letter, written in February of 1945, is one of the most emotionally wrought of the letters that I’ve come across yet. After pages of describing his love for Sylvia, … Continue reading
The National Archives
While this is a Brooklyn-centric blog. I hope to consider the nation’s history beyond that of my family and New York. That said, I now confess that the last two … Continue reading
I was never demoralized
Here we have a short and cheerful letter from Sylvia that she included with a letter in Hungarian from Alex’s mother. I included a page of the Hungarian letter though … Continue reading
Home Sweet Home: Little Boxes
When I first began this blog I was working as a researcher at the Brooklyn Navy Yard for a museum that will open in September. There I was, working right … Continue reading
Making Plans
This letter is a purely logistical one, written in August of 1944. As my life has been taken up by replacing my broken phone and trying to piece together my … Continue reading
The Old Man Has Spoken
This letter was written on November 19th, 1944. According to the Washington Post, “Russian tanks and infantry smashed 4 miles through German lines 15 miles north of Budapest… in a … Continue reading
New Friends, Old Friends
On my trip to D.C. in April I made a new friend who kindly housed me for the entire four days I was there. Rachel makes great jewelry and has a … Continue reading
