Everyday Heroes: The True Story of a Lighthouse Family

by Seamond Ponsart Roberts, Jeremy D'Entremont (Editor)

I am, and always will be, a lighthouse keeper's daughter. This is my story.

347 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 18, 2013

Reviews

[Mary Fricke]

What a delightful book! I absolutely could not put it down until I finished the very last page.

I've known Seamond Roberts as a fellow-writer for several years and I am familiar with some of her stories; Flying Santa and her father's venture into the Coast Guard readily come to mind. However, I had never seen the stories in sequence in the kind of relevance that connects them to one child's years of growing up. We all have childhood memories we cherish; yet, so very, very few have memories of actually living in a lighthouse with their father as the Lighthouse Keeper. Seamond's stories are truly unique and heart rendering.

Like the world depends on food from the farmers, the world also depends on those keepers of the light for safety and protection from the seas. Both have been 'pushed back' in recent years. Some say their 'heyday' is spent. Yet, where would we be without them?

'Everyday Heroes' is a truly inspiring, sometimes comical and sometimes sad, look into the world of 'the Lighthouse Keeper's daughter'. You will laugh; you will cry. Sometimes you will just gasp with surprise or incredulity at her memories. If you were a precocious child you may even identify with them. And you are sure to enjoy every minute of reading about them.

My personal favorites are about the ghosts of the lighthouse. Learning of Rexy's continued diligence especially made me chuckle.

[ELLYN]

Such interesting stories of her life! Parts of history in WWII and other events detailed kept me enthralled. A great collection of so many parts of her life. So glad I found this book!

[Gary Land]

This is another work of local history that I picked up during a recent trip to New England, during which we viewed a number of lighthouses. For anyone interested in lighthouses, Roberts' book gives an excellent portrayal of daily life, including the constant work required of the keeper, the close bonds developed with the relatively few people nearby, and the dangers presented by storms. Most importantly, Roberts gives us a child's perspective, growing up in what could be a lonely environment but finding much to do and forging lasting relationships with a few friends. The tone and style of the book is not literary. Rather, it is more like an oral history with the author telling stories as they come to her memory, sometimes backtracking as one story reminds her of another.

[Jeannette]

This book reads as if you were listening to the author tell the stories of her childhood and living at a lighthouse. You can feel her heartbreak at leaving her lighthouse home and the joy of her friendships.

You get to know her parents and the ethics with which they lived and worked.

[Jennifer Fitzpatrick]

Wonderful memoir of light house living.