At the center of this fictional novel is Jack Morgan - a down-on-his-luck U.S. Marine - who returns home after WWII with no job, no prospects, no home, no car, an unwanted divorce and a son he will most likely never see. When a job teaching high school history and coaching football opens in Bentley, West Virginia, Jack and his grieving sister, Nellie, decide to relocate and begin their lives anew. Jack soon forges a life-long relationship with Henry Parker, the school's homeless Black janitor, and they become coaching colleagues and friends. Race relations in America are tenuous at that time are scrutinized against the backdrop of the growing civil rights movement. Jack and Nellie open up their sprawling farmhouse to boarders who become "family" including Henry, a battered woman, and two teenagers who are suddenly rendered parentless due to a tragic accident. Peppered with historical facts and anecdotes, Almost Heaven also offers a snapshot of post-war America and West Virginia's prominent role in it, including the Mountain State's contribution of servicemen and raw materials - such as steel, coal and rubber. It also delves into the difficult adjustments faced by returning veterans and their families. Although not a "war" book, brief descriptions of some of the major battles in the Pacific arena are mentioned along with the fascinating life of Jacklyn Harrell Lewis, who became the youngest Congressional Medal of Honor recipient in the 20th century for his heroics at Iwo Jima. Almost Heaven mines the rich political and economic history of West Virginia and examines the lives and events surrounding some of the state's most celebrated figures. Readers will be taken back to the days of President Truman's "Freedom Train" whistle-stop visit in 1948, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit to Charleston, and JFK's speech in that same capital city in 1963, commemorating the 100th anniversary of statehood of the Mountain State. Interspersed throughout Almost Heaven are other fascinating historical anecdotes and vignettes about U.S. Presidents, including interesting details of Kennedy's vital primary win over Hubert Humphrey as well as other events that foreshadowed the emergence of America as a great nation - stories of some of the signers of the Declaration of independence, and other salient circumstances that helped to shape the nation. Almost Heaven offers the reader the chance to experience life's joys and tragedies along with memorable characters.
