Grave Trippers
History at our Feet
By Robert and Vincent Gardino
When a friend loaned me a book, Grave Trippers, and said she thought I’d enjoy it, I had to start it right away since it’s only 175 pages long and covers a gamut of history.
She was right. I couldn’t put it down.
The Gardinos are brothers who love visiting cemeteries and learning more about the good, the bad and the innocent buried in National and local burial sites, as well as at private residences and churches.
Their style of writing is homey and personal, with insights into why they chose to write about certain grave sites, like that of atheist Ayn Rand or singer Elvis Presley or how some of those buried have been major influences in their lives.
Each of the stories is brief, but includes some fun facts…..did you know that Admiral George Dewey is the only American who was ever awarded he title of Admiral of the Navy?….as well as directions on how to find the burial places or hours when visitation is permitted.
There are stories about several men and women buried at Arlington National Cemetery including the Kennedys, Joe Louis and William Howard Taft, as well as stories from the West Point Military Cemetery where Revolutionary War heroine Margaret Corbin is NOT buried but is remembered, and George Armstrong Custer and New Jersey’s General Norman Schwarzkopf are..
There are pianists, composers, baseball players and announcers and so many more fascinating stories told by brothers who simply like to dig into history and share it with others.
The book has a forward by Pulitzer Prize Winner James McPherson who loved it as much as I, and was printed by Camino Books, Inc. of Philadelphia.
A great and easy read.
Grave Trippers Grave Trippers
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