Dearest Renee,: Letters from the coronavirus war of 2020

by Tom Powell

As people across the world began to go into various forms of lockdown, the memes that were being generated online were, as one would expect, hilarious. They also served to help bring some laughter to an otherwise dismal situation. As I began to share many of these coronavirus memes, I continued to notice different variations of a spin on letters being sent home from soldiers detailing their experiences on the front lines, only these letters were from people being quarantined as a joke to make people smile. So, as a form of comic relief, I began to post daily letters to my wife once our schools’ closings had been announced, and I found myself at home every day with the kids. I would compose a letter every day to my wife, Dearest Renee, and I would describe the things that were happening here at the house, but I wrote them as if I was a solider on the front lines of a war. Apparently, these letters became quite a hit among my wife’s circle of online friends, so I saved all of them knowing that I had to do something with them. I mean, I even had her elementary school English teacher praising them, and I never had a teacher praise me for, well, anything, so I knew they were something that needed to be preserved. So, I decided to compile all of them and present them for your enjoyment in this book. What you will see in this book is all seventy-one letters I wrote during our states stay at home order, accompanied by some minor explanation as to what you just read in some of the letters. The book is really meant to be a compilation of the letters themselves, so I tried to keep the additional commentary about the letters to a minimum. As you progress through the book, you will see that a great many of these letters have no accompanying explanation at all, some have incredibly detailed explanations, and some have a few lines of explanations. I wanted to keep the focus on the letters themselves. The last thing you need when reading this collection of letters is an overload of additional information resulting in psycho-analyzation of what really is just an attempt to have fun during a bad stretch of time. So sit back and enjoy some letters from the front lines of the coronavirus war of 2020.

123 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 25, 2020

Reviews

[Dawn Prignano · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Tom Powell Jr's 2nd book, he relays his days as a retired father locked down during the COVD-19 Pandemic with his Freshman Daughter and 2nd grade son in funny musings written in the form of a soldier on the front lines writing to his wife back home.
Don't let the heartfelt and sentimental Dedication and Forward fool you. The pages are filled with candor, comedy, and chaos in which anyone confined during the pandemic can relate.
You will laugh, you will cry, you will want to read to see what can possibly happen the next day. (It is all true)
His first book, "A Great full Life: The Story of a Husband, Father, and Taco Loving Dead Head" reveals to the reader the author's sense of humor and realism. Tom Powell Jr. does not sugar coat anything, as is evident in his letters and narrative descriptions in "Dearest Renee."
The author took a horrible situation and was able to spin it into quality humor and sincerity. It is a definite must read.

[Marcy Novak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mostly lighthearted look back at the first couple months of the quarantine of 2020. A creative reminder of eschooling, supply restocking, and the quest for at-home entertainment.

[TJ Creamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooo good, I didn’t want to finish it…

So, truth be told, I have been reading this book over a couple of months. I would nibble on the entries, and enjoy both the recounting of the day, as well as the witticisms. I got to the last 10 pages of the book, and held off finishing it for weeks, because I didn’t want the book/story to end, because I wanted to hear how my newly found friend completes the life described during the pandemic lockdown, because I wanted to continue to look forward to joining Tom and his family.

Well, last night, when I couldn’t sleep, I finished the last 10 pages, and all I have to say is: wow!

Tom is a wonderful story-teller, and basically invites you into his family for this journey, well-told.

I rarely give 5-stars. This was truly worthy of such an accolade.

You will enjoy it, and you will feel a part of Tom’s family as you read. Tip of the hat to Tom and his clan. Thank you for inviting us in, and sharing a part of your home with us.