Memoirs headline authors' offerings
Recent books written by or about Butler County residents include the following four selections.
“Love Beyond Measure: Memoirs of a Korean War Bride” recounts the life of Pega Crimbchin, nee Ock Soon Lee, who lives in Cabot.
A native of Korea, Crimbchin survived the Korean War, though she witnessed much death as the battles for Seoul raged in the early 1950s.
Her story was written by her daughter, Katie Schell of Irwin, who remembers from a young age hearing her mother's stories of survival.
Her mother had recorded her life's story on tape about 30 years ago, and Schell said she had always wanted to write it down.
The story begins with Crimbchin's tragic childhood as a slave to a brutal family at the early age of 7. When she finally finds a way out of her situation, she ends up in Seoul several years before the outbreak of war.
After the Communist invasion, Crimbchin finds herself alone, near starvation and surrounded by death.
The book features about 20 photos, including one of Pega and her husband, Frank Crimbchin, in their early years, and a famous photo courtesy of the National Archives showing Korean refugees heading south from Kangning. Pega Crimbchin made a similar journey from Seoul to Taejon, walking 100 miles in snow and ice to escape communism.
“When my father met my mother, it was illegal for Americans to marry Koreans, and it was illegal for Koreans to come to the United States,” Schell said.
“It took him 10 months to go back and get her. The most amazing thing is all the things my father went through to get her back. After he died, she found a box of letters and the senator he worked with and all the things he did.”
Pega got her new name from her husband. “I explain in the book how Koreans here would take an American name, Sue or something. But my dad thought mom was unique so he came up with Pega from St. Pega I think,” Schell said.
Crimbchin has lived in Cabot for the past 40 years. She and her husband raised seven children and the family now includes 20 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Crimbchin was instrumental in building a Christian Korean fellowship which was known as the Korean Butler Church.The author said her mother, now age 80, has had weekly speaking engagements since her memoirs were published.In addition, Crimbchin has directed that 10 percent of the proceeds from book sales go to drilling fresh water wells in third world countries. She feels especially close to this cause, since as a child she carried water on her head every day as a peasant in South Korea.In fact, she wanted 100 percent of the proceeds to go toward this cause until the first well was paid for, and she has achieved that. With the sale of about 400 books, $1,800 has already gone to Women of the Wells for a water well in Nigeria.For more information about the 308-page book, or to schedule speaking engagements or book signings, contact Schell at 412-585-7086 or katiesnook33@gmail.com.<B>'A Hug Through the Air'</B>Jennifer Hallam, a former Butler County resident and Butler Eagle reporter who lost her family in a deadly car accident in Mercer County, has written a children's book aimed at helping others deal with the devastation following a death or separation.“A Hug Through the Air” came to fruition because of Hallam's energetic daughter Hailey, who was 22 months old when she died in a car accident along with Hallam's husband, Troy.As a busy toddler, Hailey was unwilling to stop playing to give her mother a hug, so she began hugging her body and pointing to the air.Written from Hailey's perspective, “A Hug Through the Air” tells the story of family members who remain connected to one another through all aspects of life, and even in death.The children's book is available through www.haileyhugs.com.<B>'Something Fierce</B>Rimersburg native David Drayer has published a new book about love gone wrong.“Something Fierce” explorespassion, madness, and the consequences of forbidden love.The main character Seth Hardy, Drayer's alter-ego introduced in his first novel, “Strip Cuts,” returns in “Something Fierce.”He was 21 the last time readers saw him, vowing to leave Clarion County and follow his dreams.Now, Hardy has just turned 40 and has been following his dreams, though the road of adventure hasn't been quite like he imagined. When he meets Kerri Engel for a cup of coffee at the start of the latest novel, his journey takes an unexpected and tumultuous turn.The 280-page book is available in paperback and digital formats from online booksellers. More information is available at daviddrayer.com.<B>'Reader's Choice'</B>“Chicken Soup for the Soul” is celebrating 20 years of inspirational storytelling. “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Reader's Choice” and “Chicken Soup for the Soul: 20th Anniversary Edition” are the latest additions to the series.Lyndora writer Valerie Benko has a story included in “Reader's Choice”Benko is a frequent contributor to the “Chicken Soup” series and other anthologies and journals, such as “Not Your Mother's Book” and “Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing.”The 400-page book is available in paperback and digital formats from online booksellers.
