If you need a gift for someone, I recommend a couple especially of books by Dennis Peterson I’ve especially enjoyed.

Dillon’s War

For someone interested in WW II, I’d recommend Dillon’s War, a masterful story, woven from a handful of letters, a few family stories, and great research.

Dillon Summers’ actual combat with his unit began in late June 1944, when they landed on Omaha Beach. Historian Dennis Peterson gleaned details of battles from many sources and they include memories of men who were there. These are especially valuable since Summers, who was his uncle, didn’t talk about his extensive service in Europe and Germany.

Even though Summers was given a furlough to come home in early December 1944, the author continued to follow his unit. It’s hard to imagine having to return to that terrible war, although he was spared the Ardennes Campaign. Only eight letters from Summers during the war were saved, but they keep bringing the reader back to the human story of a young American who left family at home to help liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny.

He lived through terrible months and was awarded two Bronze Stars, then to witness the gruesome cruelty and inhumanity of one of the concentration camps after VE-Day. It’s a wonder he came home and lived a “normal life,” one remembered by a nephew who keeps his memory alive with this fine history.

Look Unto the Hills: Stories of Growing Up in Rural East Tennessee

For someone who enjoys childhood memoirs, choose Look Unto the Hills, an engaging memoir written in the form of 51 delightful essays, divided into seven sections: Farm Stories, Play, School, Work, People, Animals, and Values. Among the compelling stories is one about what wearing a “hideous sport coat” reveals about a man.

From Amazon: “Tell us a farm story, Daddy!” That was the almost nightly request that we kids had of our father when we were growing up in rural East Tennessee. Sometimes Daddy obliged, and we enjoyed a session of storytelling from his childhood. As I grew up, I amassed experiences for my own arsenal of tales, which I, in turn, told to my children. And so it goes, from one generation to the next.

That’s how traditions and family values are preserved. They get handed down from one generation after another. Sometimes serious, sometimes hilarious, each of the stories in this volume carries with it valuable lessons about growing up, maturing, and living life. They teach important values such as a solid work ethic, the importance of education, the benefits of healthful play in the outdoors, and faith in God.

The stories are categorized under play, school, work, people, animals, and values, and they demonstrate the benefits of growing up in a rural setting, where work was the norm, education was a privilege, and faith was a necessity. They emphasize family as the central focus of life and community. And they underscore the importance of a sense of humor to life.

Dennis Peterson

Dennis was a middle child, still is, with an older brother, who was the cause of many of Dennis’s stories, and a younger sister. They still tweak one another on social media.

Dennis L. Peterson is an independent author, historian, and editor with numerous published credits in regional and national journals and magazines. A former history teacher and history curriculum writer, his areas of special interest include Southern history, the War Between the States, the Great Depression, and World War II.

A native of East Tennessee, he now lives in Taylors, South Carolina. He and his wife are the parents of four adult daughters and enjoy several grandchildren.

You might check out his website and his Amazon Author Page.

Our American Stories

Dennis has also graciously made recordings for Our American Stories. You’ll enjoy his delightful North Carolina accent. Here is his collection. “The Dangers and Joys of Having a ‘Making Do’ Dad.” “Paw Summers, Storyteller.” “Nanny’s Hands.” And more.