The Last of the Blacksmiths
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The Last of the Blacksmiths by Claire Gebben
Michael Harm is a farmer's son in the Bavarian Rhineland who dreams of excitement and freedom--the sort of life enjoyed by Uncas, the hero in his favorite novel, The Last of the Mohicans. Every day Michael toils beside his brother in the vineyards wishing he could be a blacksmith, a singer, or an adventurer. One day the Harm family receives a letter from America offering a blacksmithing apprenticeship in a relative's Cleveland, Ohio wagon-making shop to the eldest son. Michael begs to take his brother's place, and at age fifteen, leaves his family behind for America. On a storm-tossed Atlantic crossing, he meets Charles Rauch, the son of a Cleveland wagon-maker, his future rival in carriage-making and love. Michael arrives in an America he can barely comprehend, confronting riots in New York, anti-immigrant bigotry in Cleveland, and his uncle, a cruel blacksmith master. Michael struggles through his indenture, inspired by rags-to-riches stories such as that of presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln. He receives his freedom dues just as war threatens to destroy the country he now calls home. It is not the Civil War, but Cleveland's post-war Gilded Age, that forces Michael to face his greatest challenge--an accelerating machine age destined to wipe out his livelihood forever. Populated by characters both historical and invented, The Last of the Blacksmiths is a tale of the disruption and dispersal of an immigrant family, the twilight of the artisan crafts, and the efforts of each generation to shape its destiny.Claire Gebben was born and raised on the southeast side of Cleveland, Ohio. After earning a BA in Psychology from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she settled in the Pacific Northwest, where she worked in various jobs as a resource center manager, newsletter editor, communications director and ghostwriter, all the while raising a family. In 2011, she earned an MFA in Creative Writing through the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. Her debut historical novel The Last of the Blacksmiths (Coffeetown Press, 2014) is based on the true story of her German immigrant ancestor who pursues the American dream. Since the novel's publication, she's been invited to speak at various venues on the untold stories of 19th-century immigration history, on creating legacies using family genealogies, and on research and writing. An adventurer at heart, she enjoys hiking, bicycling, traveling, and even on occasion blacksmithing. Ms. Gebben is married, has two adult children, and lives on Mercer Island, Washington.
Learn more at clairegebben.com.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781603811828 |
| ISBN 10 | 1603811826 |
| Title | The Last of the Blacksmiths |
| Author | Claire Gebben |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Coffeetown Press |
| Year published | 2014-02-15 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |