Bob Sommer

"Losing Francis: Essays on the Wars at Home" declared winner of the 2019 Thorpe Menn Literary Excellence Award.

"'Losing Francis' is a vibrant, indispensable document of life in our time.”

—Whitney Terrell, author of "The Good Lieutenant"

"A poignant account of one couple's journey through the shadow cast by the death of their son. Inextricably woven into the story is the nefarious reality of the nation's ruinous recent wars. A compelling and insightful book."

—Mark Karlin, Editor, "BuzzFlash at Truthout"

“Sommer’s prose often rises to the poetic, his storytelling is poignant yet never sentimental, and his unflinching honesty in relating his son’s life and death leave the reader with a lump in the throat and a righteous anger. 'Losing Francis' will surely take its earned place in the lamentably-large library of great literature of the home front.”

—Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, Oklahoma State Poet Laureate 2017-18, author of "What I Learned at the War"

“Robert F. Sommer has written a remarkably compelling book with boldness and startling passion …. It reverberates and teaches and beyond all else, it rings with hope.”

—Barry Sanders, author of "The Green Zone: The Environmental Costs of Militarism"

Robert F. Sommer is the author of two novels, "Where the Wind Blew" (Wessex 2008) and "A Great Fullness" (Fomite 2016). His essays and stories have appeared in many literary and scholarly journals. Robert is a lecturer at the University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth, and works for the Sierra Club’s Kansas Chapter in support of its mission to explore, enjoy, and protect the planet.