Author Karen A. Patterson to discuss World War II memoir during Quinn Library discussion

Author Karen A. Patterson, an adjunct faculty member at Ohio University-Chillicothe, will discuss her book Allies Forever: The Life and Times of an American Prisoner of War from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the casual reading area of the Stevenson Center Quinn Library at OU-C. Her discussion is free and open to the public. Military veterans and their families especially encouraged to attend. The author will describe her book, followed by an open discussion with those in attendance. The memoir is a personal account of her own family and how World War II impacted a young bride and her husband, who was shot down during a bombing mission over Germany on Christmas Day 1944. The story describes his daily struggle to survive a prisoner-of-war camp and the challenges of returning to civilian life as not only a husband but also as a father to a child who was born while he was at war. Her parents were married only five weeks before her father was called to war, and the sudden adjustment to civilian life posed difficulties upon his return.

“The creative non-fictional work spans 70 years, beginning with my father growing up in Pittsburgh in 1923,” Patterson said. “I look to share my father’s story, including the physical and psychological wounds he had after the war. I hope there are veterans present who can share their own stories.”

Her talk commemorates Veterans Day and is the first of the “Salon at Quinn Library” series that is planned at OU-C to help further cultivate a sense of intellectual community with both the campus and local communities. “The traditional definition of a salon is that of a venue to host discussions and share insights, and we hope to capture that spirit,” OU-C Head Librarian Allan Pollchik said.