On December 3, 2009, Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last living
American survivor of World War I, testified before the United
States Senate in support of creating a National WWI Memorial in
Washington DC. The 108-year-old veteran's visit to Capitol Hill was
covered in-depth by the Associated Press and CNN, among others,
calling attention to his status as a last living survivor--the
"last leaf" of an event that forever changed American history. But
Frank Buckles is not alone. While his personal story is unique,
Frank, now 109, belongs to an elite group of last living survivors
who have experienced some of the most impactful, tragic, heroic,
glamorous, and awe-inspiring events in modern American history.
Their stories are eloquently chronicled in their own
passionate--and often chilling--words, in this book. This unique
oral history book records the stories told to him personally by
people who witnessed many of history's most famous events. Among
many others, the author interviewed: the final three Civil War
widows (one Union and two Confederate), the final pitcher to
surrender a home run to Babe Ruth, the last suffragette, the last
living person to fly with Amelia Earhart, the final American World
War I soldier, and the last surviving employees of Thomas Edison,
F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Harry Houdini. The wide-ranging stories
involve humor (the 1920 Olympic medalist who stole the original
Olympic flag), tragedy (the last survivor of the 1915 Lusitania
sinking), heroism (the final Medal of Honor recipient for actions
on Pearl Harbor Day), and eyewitnesses to great events (one of the
last scientists at the first nuclear chain reaction, and the final
Iwo Jima flag raiser).
In more than three-dozen chapters, the author blends background
information in a lively narrative with the words of the
interviewees, so that readers not familiar with the historical
episodes described can understand what occurred and the long-term
significance of the events. A book that truly makes the past come
alive, The Last Leaf will fascinate not only history buffs, but
anyone who likes a good story.
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