Small Black Boxes

A powerful novel of life, death, and reaching beyond memories to find healing. "The Secretary of the Air Force has asked me to express his deep regret that your husband, Major Walter Pritchard, was killed in action in Afghanistan. He and several of his men were involved in a firefight in a small village near Kandahar. The Secretary extends his deepest sympathy to you and your family in your tragic loss." With those words, 15-year-old Leah Pritchard's world would never be the same. As she and her family start the process of saying good-bye to their husband and father, twelve boxes are delivered. These boxes, filled with the belongings of the man she knew as a father, slowly start to introduce Leah to the Walter Pritchard known to the world. A beautifully written tale of love and family, Small Black Boxes follows Leah as she watches each item weave a tale of her father's life. The reader is transported with Leah as she follows the path of Walter's memories until the last box, when Leah must continue on alone. This book was written as a tribute to the men and women who have died in service to our country and to the families they leave behind to grieve their loss and hold fast to their memory.