Location, location, location
Today we are looking at two notes from Alex. Both allude to Alex’s location with mysterious clues and little information. Alex is happy to be exploring a city. This is … Continue reading
Scuttlebutt
In this letter, rumors are flying about what will happen next to Alex and his ship mates. This letter was mailed from Norfolk, Virginia in 1943. Alex mentions that he … Continue reading
Traces
I find it poetic that the quote next to Sylvia’s yearbook photo is, “She will never pass into nothingness.” Lately, as I walk around Brooklyn, I try to notice traces … Continue reading
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
