From the Blitz to Bliss: New Memoir Follows Canadian Man’s Tumultuous WWII Upbringing
Ajax, Canada, May 27, 2008 --(PR.com)-- A remarkable personal history spanning war, poverty, personal crisis and redemption is at the center of Rainbows End, the new book by Outskirts Press author Peter Webb.
Now available through the author’s Web site at www.outskirtspress.com/rainbowsend, this richly detailed autobiography follows Webb’s journey, starting with an impoverished upbringing in Essex, England, during World War II, eventually taking him to a new life in Canada.
Webb paints a vivid portrait of his earliest years, filled with all the tension and anticipation of wartime. In kindergarten, Webb is given a gas mask, which he finds frightening, he writes. “Many other children must have felt the same way as I did,” Webb says. “So the authorities came up with a scheme to make the masks more acceptable. They altered the external appearance by using cartoon characters. Donald Duck was my replacement mask.”
As air raid sirens become commonplace, the Webb family orchestrates a removal of the children to Wales—and hoped-for safety. After the war, a period of instability follows: Webb’s father leaves the family, his mother is hospitalized for nervous breakdowns, and he himself attempts a series of jobs—but stays at none of them for long. After a stint in the Royal Navy—where he served during the Suez Crisis—and finally landing a good job, Webb and wife Dawn grow restless. They yearn for other shores and apply to immigrate to Canada.
It’s there that he finds the ability to put down roots. As he works in support of the local soccer club and climbs the corporate ladder—leaving behind the rigid class hierarchy of England—he confronts his core identity in a new and promising land and considers applying for citizenship.
The author of three previous mystery novels, Webb summons his supreme storytelling skills to capture the tension, heartache and joy of a singularly extraordinary life. As he describes a by-gone era, Webb’s eye for detail is unparalleled, and his reverence for his new home palpable and marvelously expressed when depicting later years.
“It is my hope that by this story I can influence readers to become self actualized, to confront problems and challenges and realize that every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit,” Webb states.
“Rainbows End” is now available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and the online bookstore of Outskirts Press, at outskirtspress.com/store.php.
About the Author: Peter Webb is one of five siblings to grow up in England during the Second World War. He is the author of three previous mystery novels: The Chatham Incident, The Castleport Murders, and Mallard Island, all released by Outskirts Press. He and wife Dawn have two sons, Peter and David, and one daughter, Kelly. He resides in Ajax, Ontario.
ISBN: 978-1-4327-2483-2
Format: 5.5 x 8.5 paperback Pages: 228
SRP: US$16.95/CAN$17.95 Genre: Autobiography
Author Contact: Visit him on the Web at www.outskirtspress.com/rainbowsend
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Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com — 1-888-OP-BOOKS
Now available through the author’s Web site at www.outskirtspress.com/rainbowsend, this richly detailed autobiography follows Webb’s journey, starting with an impoverished upbringing in Essex, England, during World War II, eventually taking him to a new life in Canada.
Webb paints a vivid portrait of his earliest years, filled with all the tension and anticipation of wartime. In kindergarten, Webb is given a gas mask, which he finds frightening, he writes. “Many other children must have felt the same way as I did,” Webb says. “So the authorities came up with a scheme to make the masks more acceptable. They altered the external appearance by using cartoon characters. Donald Duck was my replacement mask.”
As air raid sirens become commonplace, the Webb family orchestrates a removal of the children to Wales—and hoped-for safety. After the war, a period of instability follows: Webb’s father leaves the family, his mother is hospitalized for nervous breakdowns, and he himself attempts a series of jobs—but stays at none of them for long. After a stint in the Royal Navy—where he served during the Suez Crisis—and finally landing a good job, Webb and wife Dawn grow restless. They yearn for other shores and apply to immigrate to Canada.
It’s there that he finds the ability to put down roots. As he works in support of the local soccer club and climbs the corporate ladder—leaving behind the rigid class hierarchy of England—he confronts his core identity in a new and promising land and considers applying for citizenship.
The author of three previous mystery novels, Webb summons his supreme storytelling skills to capture the tension, heartache and joy of a singularly extraordinary life. As he describes a by-gone era, Webb’s eye for detail is unparalleled, and his reverence for his new home palpable and marvelously expressed when depicting later years.
“It is my hope that by this story I can influence readers to become self actualized, to confront problems and challenges and realize that every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit,” Webb states.
“Rainbows End” is now available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and the online bookstore of Outskirts Press, at outskirtspress.com/store.php.
About the Author: Peter Webb is one of five siblings to grow up in England during the Second World War. He is the author of three previous mystery novels: The Chatham Incident, The Castleport Murders, and Mallard Island, all released by Outskirts Press. He and wife Dawn have two sons, Peter and David, and one daughter, Kelly. He resides in Ajax, Ontario.
ISBN: 978-1-4327-2483-2
Format: 5.5 x 8.5 paperback Pages: 228
SRP: US$16.95/CAN$17.95 Genre: Autobiography
Author Contact: Visit him on the Web at www.outskirtspress.com/rainbowsend
###
Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com — 1-888-OP-BOOKS
Contact
Outskirts Press, Inc.
Jeanine Sampson
888.672.6657 ext. 704
www.outskirtspress.com
Jeanine Sampson
888.672.6657 ext. 704
www.outskirtspress.com
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