Becoming Valley Forge - Softcover

Sheilah Vance

3.22

9 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0982494599 ISBN 13: 9780982494592

Publisher: Elevator Group, The, 2016

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This epic historical novel shows how the lives of ordinary men and women who lived in the shadow of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, were changed forever beginning in early 1777, when the Revolutionary War battles came to their doorsteps, leading them and their loved ones to Valley Forge from winter 1777 through summer 1778. James, a former slave, lives as a blacksmith on Rebel Hill, with his patriot friend, Fred. Both are reluctant to volunteer for the army because they need their wages. But ten days later, they join the march to Valley Forge. Once at Valley Forge, Washington's army, a young nation, and the fascinating characters in this book are forced to grow in so many ways. At the end of a long winter, their lives have become a part of what we mean when we say, "Valley Forge."

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About the Author:

A lifelong resident of the Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, area, Sheilah Vance is a practicing attorney and award-winning author of the novels Chasing the 400, Land Mines, and the Christian inspirational book, Creativity for Christians: How to Tell Your Story and Stories of Overcoming from the Members of One Special Church. She is the president and CEO as well as the founder of The Elevator Group, LLC, an independent publishing company. She has a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. in communications from the Howard University School of Communications, both in Washington, DC. Her first novel, Chasing the 400, was the first selection of the African American Museum of Philadelphia Book Club and is a featured selection in the Black Expressions Book Club, a national subscription book-of-the-month club. A member of the Friends of Valley Forge National Park, she has done extensive research on the activities of the local communities during the Revolutionary War.

Review:

Although a work of fiction, author Sheilah Vance has included a great deal of historically factual background details in her stirring saga of a novel. Impressively well written from beginning to end, Becoming Valley Forge is highly recommended for both community and academic library Historical Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that Becoming Valley Forge is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99). --Midwest Book Review, April 2016, Small Press Watch, Fiction

In her epic-length novel Becoming Valley Forge, Sheilah Vance dramatizes the horrific depredations experienced by George Washington s Continental Army as it endured brutal conditions during the winter camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1777. The author centers her story around a small cast of colourful characters whose lives become tangled up in the war, whether they want to or not. There is a local blacksmith named James, a former slave, a conflicted patriot, Daniel, tavern-keeper Norman, Continental General Anthony Wayne, and the seemingly opportunistic Pennsylvania brothel-keeper, Connie. The result of all these viewpoints playing out against the broader historical backdrop becomes a truly immersive reading experience. --Historical Novel Society, May 2016

Winner, Regional Fiction --Next Generation Indie Book Awards, May 2016

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