The Book

One family’s struggle for freedom and faith in a world gone mad.

The call of freedom has propelled millions of immigrants to journey thousands of miles from all corners of the globe to come to America over the last four hundred years.

This story details the incredible cost that some are willing to pay to drink from freedom’s fountain.

Craig Matthews’s grandfather crossed the Atlantic Ocean seven times to come to America. He fought in a global war, and nearly died in combat in the French countryside, wearing the uniform of an American.

His grandmother, at nine years old, came to the States with her family and within three weeks of arrival her father was dead. Her mother was pressured to remarry by the leader of their secretive church. She married seven years later, at sixteen, to escape her abusive stepfather, only to walk into another devastating tragedy.

Shortly thereafter the worldwide pandemic broke out and life got even more challenging.

This is their unbelievable tale.

In the end, instead of becoming bitter, the epic struggles transformed both of them from isolated Immigrants, to genuine Patriots. The freedom and faith they fought for, changed them and through the hardship came the blessing. Those precious gifts were passed down to Craig Matthews who now shares their stories.

The Author

Craig Matthews is: A son of two parents. Sibling to three. Husband to one. Father of three. Grandfather of seven. Author of four books. Herder of nine chickens and a barn cat named Moo. One creative soul.

Craig Matthews loves: Jesus. Connie. Six kids. Seven grandkids. His big family. A good story. People in general. Pizza in particular. Nature. History. Adventure of all kinds. Sunsets. Detroit sports teams. Living at the end of a dead end road. Islands. Laughter, and a particular historical document dated 9-17-1787.

My Thoughts

What an incredible weaving of the immigrant journeys of a young couple, from Scotland and Italy, who meet in Utah after he survives WWI and the influenza pandemic. By then, she is a young widow, who has lost a young brother, her father, her husband in the war, and another brother to the pandemic.

But they have much more to face, from the deception and destruction of a rampant secretive religion. Remarkably, they escape and find redemption. This is the almost unbelievable story of the author’s grandparents, written as a novel.

Here’s a 30-minute video of Craig talking about the background of the book. I’m a fan of backstories!

You might like to check out his website.