Local books on theater, mill towns and Vietnam War
Many books with local authors or ties to Western Pennsylvania have been published recently.
Carnegie Mellon University alumnus Sheldon Epps recently published his memoir, “My Own Directions: A Black Man’s Journey in the American Theater.” Epps has a long history in show business, including Tony Award nominations, production of August Wilson plays, directing credits on many television shows and the Alumni Achievement Award from Carnegie Mellon. Currently, he serves as senior artistic advisor at Ford’s Theater in
Washington D.C.
“Working on this memoir has been a reflective journey that has brought back vivid images of moments in my long and blessed career,” said the author. “It has also been a reminder of the many challenges that have resulted from being ‘chased by race’ personally and professionally. … I hope that this book contributes to the ongoing evolution of the theatre industry.”
Epps will hold a book signing on the Carnegie Mellon campus this Friday from 3-5 p.m. in the lobby of the Purnell Center. ($ 35.94, bookshop.org)
Forest Hills resident Jim Roberts’ “Mat 111 Dong Xoai, Vietnam 1971” is a memoir of the author’s year in Vietnam as an Army infantry lieutenant. Roberts quit his job as a high school science teacher to enlist in the military.
“I have always felt that stories outside the ‘usual’ Vietnam writings need to be shared with the public so they might have a better understanding of what it means to send their young men and women off to fight a war,” Roberts said. “There is more to combat than what is typically shown in media coverage.”
Proceeds from the book go to the Veterans Breakfast Club, an outreach organization in Western Pennsylvania. ($17.98, bookshop.org)
“Redding Up” is a collection of short stories by Richard Snodgrass, a Mount Washington resident. It’s the last in the Books of Furnass series, set in a fictitious milling town in Pennsylvania. The series follows the Lyle family over the course of several decades as the town evolves with industrialization.
The book is to be published Nov. 15. ($15.95, bookshop.org)
“Red Clay Ashes” by Julie Tulba follows the life of a Vietnam War reporter who tries to break the glass ceiling and fight sexism in journalism during the 1960s.
In the novel, the reporter’s notes are uncovered by her daughter after her death.
Tulba says of her main character: “Hazel becomes the type of journalist most people only dream about becoming, and encounters a love that most people only dream about finding. But with love comes loss and everything else that war often brings.”
The author lives in the Pittsburgh area and works as an academic librarian. She also has two other historical fiction books that are set in Homestead and Squirrel Hill. ($ 17.99, amazon.com)