After collecting a lifetime of interesting experiences (and then some), one grandpa finally decided to turn his memories into a book. Leroy Day certainly had no shortage of stories to tell! This 99-year-old man spent his childhood years struggling during the Great Depression, but eventually grew up to become the Deputy Director of NASA’s Space Shuttle program. His memoir is titled Road from Hilldene: Growing Up on a Farm in the Great Depression.
Unfortunately, this grandpa’s book wasn’t selling very well. His granddaughter was devastated when the elderly man quipped to her that he’d earned a “whopping $5” from sales. So, Lauren Day decided to take matters into her own hands — or, rather, the internet’s! She started marketing her grandfather’s memoir to her followers on social media.
“This is my 99-year-old grandpa,” she wrote, sharing a photo of him. “Can we make his year?”
Lauren explained that, for his age, her grandpa was still extremely independent. With his 100th birthday on the not-so-distant horizon, she really wanted his book to be successful before he reached that important milestone.
“He still has perfect vision, lives on his own, can use a computer to email me AND drives,” she said.
At the end of her slideshow, she added, “Can we sell out his book before he turns 100?!”
Reading the comments section on Lauren’s social media post is absolutely heartwarming. Everyone wanted to support this grandpa’s book!
“Just bought it for my grandma who also grew up on a farm during the Depression,” one user wrote. “I know she’ll love it!”
Another added, “I’m a high school librarian. I just purchased this book for my school’s library. Each year, our sophomores do a project after reading memoirs/autobiographies. Can’t wait to do a book talk!
As it turns out, Lauren’s post about her grandpa’s book worked wonders. In fact, she shared an update that the hardcover version of the memoir had completely sold out on Amazon! Thankfully, though, she added that the paperback edition was still in stock.
If you’re interested in reading her grandpa’s book, you might want to get a copy while you can!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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