A Love Story From the Greatest Generation

Grant and Mary Valentine, of The Greatest Generation, documented not only their lives but historical events in more than eight-hundred letters exchanged during Grant’s four years of military service in Hawaii and the Pacific Theater. Even though the letters were censored, leaving Grant unable to tell his entire story and Mary unable to share daily events heard on the radio or read in the newspapers, they were adept at veiling information.

453 pages filled with letters and photographs!

After Grant returned home in 1945, the letters were packed away in a large brown pigskin suitcase. Both Grant and Mary were quick to point out that their words were “racy” and very personal; therefore, they did not allow the family access to the letters. Decades later, when the suitcase was finally opened, a significant treasure trove was found bundled in faded yellow ribbons.  

The result is Christina Valentine Larsen’s extraordinary labor of love, My Own Darling, A Love Story for the Ages from The Greatest Generation. 

This limited edition is now available on www.amazon.com.

"Christina Valentine Larsen illuminates the everyday rhythms of the lives of her parents through letters written during World War II. Her father’s perspective—with all the fears and adversities—and her mother’s viewpoint as she copes with life on the home-front shed light upon a troubled but wonderful world. Reading about new experiences and unexpected discoveries during their eloquent journey gave me a clearer sense of history, as well as, an accurate account of who these people were and the times they lived in. The couple’s values of love, respect, and commitment are reflected in their own words." – MJ West, author of Without Reservations.