HENDERSONVILLE, NC - Ann Brubaker Greenleaf Wirtz's nonfiction book, Letters: Our American Story, invites readers into a deeply personal and historically rich journey through more than a century of American life, faith, family, and memory. Written to commemorate the United States' 250th Anniversary, the book uses preserved letters, postcards, memoir fragments, genealogy, and family stories to show how ordinary lives are woven into the larger story of America.
At the heart of Letters: Our American Story is Wirtz's belief that history is not confined to monuments, textbooks, presidents, or battlefields. It lives in handwritten words saved across generations, in a father's wartime reflection, in the courage of women who helped shape the nation, and in the quiet faith passed from one life to another. Through these treasured pieces of correspondence, Wirtz reveals how one family's story touches Susan B. Anthony, Benjamin Franklin, World War II, the Space Race, the Kennedy years, the Peace Corps, Christian witness, women's history, and the enduring power of written connection.
The book features several remarkable historical and spiritual touchpoints, including a 1903 letter from Susan B. Anthony, a powerful World War II letter written by Wirtz's father, Kenneth L. Brubaker Sr., and meaningful correspondence connected to Catherine Marshall and Elisabeth Elliot. Together, these letters create a moving portrait of heritage, perseverance, patriotism, and faith.
Literary Titan praised Letters: Our American Story as "a tender, faith-soaked family history built around letters, postcards, memoir fragments, and remembered voices that stretch across more than a century." The review describes the book as "a meditation on how ordinary lives brush against national history, and how written words can keep love alive long after the moment that produced them has passed."
"Letters: Our American Story" is especially suited for readers who enjoy genealogy, Christian memoir, women's history, family archives, reflective Americana, World War II history, and stories that show how personal memory intersects with national identity.
Readers can purchase Letters: Our American Story by Ann Brubaker Greenleaf Wirtz on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Discover a moving nonfiction tribute to family, faith, and America's 250-year story through the preserved letters that continue to speak across generations.
To learn more about the heart behind Letters: Our American Story, readers are invited to watch Ann Brubaker Greenleaf Wirtz's interview with Gretchen Roe on the Demme Learning YouTube Channel. In the conversation, Ann shares the inspiration behind her book, the treasured letters that shaped its message, and the importance of preserving family history as America approaches its 250th Anniversary. Watch the interview here:
About the Author
Ann Brubaker Greenleaf Wirtz is an author, poet, educator, and storyteller whose writing reflects a lifelong appreciation for family, faith, history, and the meaningful moments that shape a life. Since 2002, she has made her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, where Hendersonville offers a vivid contrast to the Midwestern landscapes of her earlier years.
Born in Wichita, Kansas, as a third-generation Kansan, Wirtz moved with her family before her first birthday to Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. She later earned a teaching degree from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and a Master's Degree in Reading from Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Her professional and personal journey has included teaching, business ownership, marriage, parenthood, widowhood, and a second loving marriage. She and her family also owned and operated The Greenleaf Shoppe in Minocqua, Wisconsin.
Wirtz is the author of five books, including Our Lives in Verse, Everyday Poetry. Her work has appeared in the "Moments" series by Grace Publishing, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and in more than 100 published articles. Her writing often draws from lived experience, spiritual reflection, family memory, and the enduring lessons found in ordinary days.
Letters: Our American Story represents a ten-year journey to determine how best to share the extraordinary World War II letter written by her father, Kenneth L. Brubaker Sr. Created in honor of America's 250th Anniversary, the book is a thoughtful and heartfelt exploration of heritage, history, faith, and the written words that continue to connect generations.
Email: wirtzletters-1@yahoo.com
Media Contact
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Literary Titan
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Ann Brubaker Greenleaf Wirtz
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United States
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https://www.anngreenleafwirtz.com/
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