Everyday Heroes: The True Story of a Lighthouse Family

by Seamond Ponsart Roberts, Jeremy D'Entremont

"I am, and always will be, a lighthouse keeper's daughter. I had the good fortune to be born to a different kind of childhood. I didn't recognize this fact back when I was small. I thought that everybody lived like we did on our little island of Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts, which in itself was a life apart..."This is the true story of a family's life at lighthouses on the edge of civilization. It's a story of adventure, devotion to duty, and love.Seamond Ponsart Roberts shares her memories and emotions with good humor, a sharp eye for detail, and above all an appreciation for a way of life that has passed into history.Illustrated with 30 B&W photos and maps."If you enjoy reading as much as I do, you will understand what it means to have a book 'grab you' right from its opening pages. This book captured me before I’d even finished the acknowledgements with the author’s simple way of writing and her invitation to share her adventures as if 'we are old friends sitting on the porch telling each other stories.' A pleasant conversation with a treasured friend is exactly what reading this book is like. . . . 'Everyday Heroes' is a wonderful book rich with history and the everyday trials and tribulations of life as lightkeepers. It left this reader feeling nostalgic for a way of life I’ve never experienced –a life both rich and somehow uncomplicated by the hardships faced by those who lived it. The author’s words will enthrall you and by the time you reach the end of the book, you will have a new appreciation for a lost way of life. But just as importantly, you will feel you have a new friend in Seamond Ponsart Roberts." -- Donna Suchomelly, World Lighthouse Society newsletter.

414 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2013

Reviews

[Mary Fricke · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book! I absolutely could not put it down until I finished the very last page.

I've known Seamond Roberts as a fellow-writer for several years and I am familiar with some of her stories; Flying Santa and her father's venture into the Coast Guard readily come to mind. However, I had never seen the stories in sequence in the kind of relevance that connects them to one child's years of growing up. We all have childhood memories we cherish; yet, so very, very few have memories of actually living in a lighthouse with their father as the Lighthouse Keeper. Seamond's stories are truly unique and heart rendering.

Like the world depends on food from the farmers, the world also depends on those keepers of the light for safety and protection from the seas. Both have been 'pushed back' in recent years. Some say their 'heyday' is spent. Yet, where would we be without them?

'Everyday Heroes' is a truly inspiring, sometimes comical and sometimes sad, look into the world of 'the Lighthouse Keeper's daughter'. You will laugh; you will cry. Sometimes you will just gasp with surprise or incredulity at her memories. If you were a precocious child you may even identify with them. And you are sure to enjoy every minute of reading about them.

My personal favorites are about the ghosts of the lighthouse. Learning of Rexy's continued diligence especially made me chuckle.

[ELLYN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such interesting stories of her life! Parts of history in WWII and other events detailed kept me enthralled. A great collection of so many parts of her life. So glad I found this book!

[Gary Land · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another work of local history that I picked up during a recent trip to New England, during which we viewed a number of lighthouses. For anyone interested in lighthouses, Roberts' book gives an excellent portrayal of daily life, including the constant work required of the keeper, the close bonds developed with the relatively few people nearby, and the dangers presented by storms. Most importantly, Roberts gives us a child's perspective, growing up in what could be a lonely environment but finding much to do and forging lasting relationships with a few friends. The tone and style of the book is not literary. Rather, it is more like an oral history with the author telling stories as they come to her memory, sometimes backtracking as one story reminds her of another.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads as if you were listening to the author tell the stories of her childhood and living at a lighthouse. You can feel her heartbreak at leaving her lighthouse home and the joy of her friendships.

You get to know her parents and the ethics with which they lived and worked.

[Jennifer Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful memoir of light house living.