Seeking More of the Sky

About the Book

The stories presented in this book follow the life of a young boy growing up in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, during the 1930s. The author lived during the depression when unemployment was affecting many and banks were closed, while the clouds of war were gathering in Europe. But he was lucky enough to be raised in a loving family, the power of that love reflected throughout his stories. The day when boys would have cell phones, television, smart phones, and Ipads was in the far distant future. Boys made do with what they had—old tires, bottle caps, marbles, spools, and anything else they could find around the house, forcing them to be inventive in their play. It was a period when milkmen delivered milk in bottles, icemen brought blocks of ice for the ice box, and the sound of steam locomotives echoed through the town. These true stories take the reader back to a simpler time. Older readers may find a little of themselves in the stories while the young may be amazed by how boys lived over seventy-five years ago.

About the Author

Charles N. Stevens, or Norm as his friends call him, grew up in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. His parents moved from Los Angeles to Inglewood in 1932, partially because his father enjoyed the refreshing sea breezes that sprung up nearly every afternoon from the nearby Pacific.

It was a time when the country was struggling with a deep depression and had not yet entered World War II. He attended Inglewood schools from the second grade through graduation from Inglewood High School in 1942.

Not long after graduation, he was inducted into the service. He became a bombardier in the Army Air Corps, serving in the Eighth Air Force in England from which he participated in thirty-four bombing missions over Germany and occupied France. He was awarded the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After the war, aided by the G. I. Bill, he enrolled at UCLA, graduating in 1951 with a BA degree in psychology.

After earning a teaching credential at UCLA, he became a teacher, continuing in the profession, primarily in Montebello, California, for thirty-two years. He taught science and math in his beginning years, then after getting a master’s degree in English at California State College in Los Angeles, he taught English and American Literature.

He is the author of three books about his military experiences. They are An Innocent at Polebrook, which is about his bombing missions; The Innocent Cadet, which concerns his cadet and crew training; and Back from Combat, which deals with his retraining as a radar bombardier after coming home from overseas.

The author lives with his wife of forty-three years, Dolores Seidman, in Monterey Park, California. He has two sons by a previous marriage, Jeffry Stevens and Greg Stevens. He has five grandchildren (now adults): Eric Stevens, Michael Stevens, Beth Stevens, Brenda Sherry, and Sharon De Beauchamp. He also has four great grandchildren: Ryan Stevens, Colin Stevens, Guinevere Sherry, and Malcolm Sherry.