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Herman: 1940s Lonely Hearts Search
WWII veteran Herman Affield returns to his bleak farm in northern Minnesota and begins a four year search for a wife through lonely hearts club publications. Follow his search as the years tick by. Barbara, alias, Linda, a mentally ill New York pianist, finally answers his letters and moves to the farm with four young children in 1949. In Part II of this first book, explore hundreds of advertisements and the key of names for several lonely hearts club catalogues. You may find a relative. Some have suggested that this is an excellent glimpse of post WWII women's plight in the United States--a possible text for Women's Studies programs.
158 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 10, 2017
About the author
Wendell Affield
4 books45 followersIt’s one thing to write a book; it’s another to live it.
Wendell Affield never knew his father. His childhood was punctuated by a volatile mother and an unpredictable stepfather. At twelve he and his siblings were placed in foster homes, his mother committed to a mental hospital. At sixteen he rode the rails out west and lived in hobo camps. At seventeen he enlisted in the navy. At twenty, he was wounded in an ambush while driving a river patrol boat in Vietnam and medevaced home.
Affield retired from the food industry in 2001. He attended Bemidji State University (BSU) to learn the writing craft. His Vietnam “memory stories” evolved into a memoir, Muddy Jungle Rivers, which won the Minnesota Veterans Voices award in 2017. The memoir has opened surprising new paths. Today he speaks to groups about PTSD and leads an Expressive Writing Therapy group for veterans.
In 2010 Affield discovered a treasure trove of family history, dating back to 1822, in the chickenhouse on the family homestead in northern Minnesota. Each day as he works on the stories, he discovers new family ties, heartaches, loss, and victories.
He has led workshops and spoken at colleges throughout Minnesota and the Midwest.
Affield lives with his wife, Patti, in northern Minnesota. They have three children and several grandchildren. Sadly, their son, Jeff, died in 2015. Affield continues to study writing and psychology. His greatest fear: that he dies before all the stories are told.
Wendell Affield never knew his father. His childhood was punctuated by a volatile mother and an unpredictable stepfather. At twelve he and his siblings were placed in foster homes, his mother committed to a mental hospital. At sixteen he rode the rails out west and lived in hobo camps. At seventeen he enlisted in the navy. At twenty, he was wounded in an ambush while driving a river patrol boat in Vietnam and medevaced home.
Affield retired from the food industry in 2001. He attended Bemidji State University (BSU) to learn the writing craft. His Vietnam “memory stories” evolved into a memoir, Muddy Jungle Rivers, which won the Minnesota Veterans Voices award in 2017. The memoir has opened surprising new paths. Today he speaks to groups about PTSD and leads an Expressive Writing Therapy group for veterans.
In 2010 Affield discovered a treasure trove of family history, dating back to 1822, in the chickenhouse on the family homestead in northern Minnesota. Each day as he works on the stories, he discovers new family ties, heartaches, loss, and victories.
He has led workshops and spoken at colleges throughout Minnesota and the Midwest.
Affield lives with his wife, Patti, in northern Minnesota. They have three children and several grandchildren. Sadly, their son, Jeff, died in 2015. Affield continues to study writing and psychology. His greatest fear: that he dies before all the stories are told.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 25, 2022
Not as good as his other books, but fascinating regardless. He write well and is very kind to the parents that raised him, in spite of the very difficult circumstances.
September 19, 2022
A treasure!
This book provided me the with the details I was searching for on WWII Lonely Hearts clubs. And for that I am grateful. It also offered a glimpse into several lives that I found intriguing. Deftly told, based on facts, and yet poignant and rich in meaning. A part of Americana that the author has rescued from obscurity.
This book provided me the with the details I was searching for on WWII Lonely Hearts clubs. And for that I am grateful. It also offered a glimpse into several lives that I found intriguing. Deftly told, based on facts, and yet poignant and rich in meaning. A part of Americana that the author has rescued from obscurity.
January 30, 2019
Interesting
I probably wouldn't have read this had it not taken place near me, but I'm glad I did. Some interesting bits of history, but wish I knew more about his mothers history and father. Perhaps he will write about those people later.
I probably wouldn't have read this had it not taken place near me, but I'm glad I did. Some interesting bits of history, but wish I knew more about his mothers history and father. Perhaps he will write about those people later.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews