Update: Kickoff party on April 23 for 1942 Forest Hills mystery novel

Next week, step back in time with author Anthony Dobranski, Forest Hills Connection and a special guest speaker. The setting? 1942 Forest Hills.

“Chevy Chase Ice Palace, Beginner Learning to Skate,” November 1942 by Edwin Rosscam (courtesy of the Library of Congress). Park Van Ness is being built where the Ice Palace/Van Ness Square once stood.

Dobranski is writing a mystery novel that will be published in Forest Hills Connection like many novels from days of yore: In serialized form. And we are celebrating the kick-off of his serial novel on Thursday, April 23rd, 7 to 9 p.m., at the senior living residence Forest Hills of DC (4901 Connecticut Avenue). Refreshments will be served.

Dobranski sets the scene: “In the first half of 1942, the United States was in mortal peril. Exhausted by the Great Depression, America had barely begun to prepare for war with the Axis, when the attack on Pearl Harbor crippled our Pacific forces. Germany held huge portions of Europe and North Africa, and its U-Boats could destroy ships across the Atlantic, even in American coastal waters. To support the huge efforts of our military, on the home front we endured wrenching social change, retooling our industries overnight, shifting people by the tens of thousands, and putting women to work in factories and offices in a way no nation had ever done before.

“Washington had been a genteel town with patrician sensibilities. Now it directed a fight for democracy itself. It also developed the weapons to win that fight – right here in Forest Hills.”

At next week’s event, Dobranski will talk about his writing process and read an excerpt. Plus, we will hear from a special guest speaker, Jim Schooley, a retired NBS (National Bureau of Standards) scientist and author of the book Responding to National Needs: The National Bureau of Standards becomes the National Institute of Standards and Technology, as well as author of numerous articles on NBS history. In 2011, Mr. Schooley talked about NBS history on WAMU’s “The Kojo Nnamdi Show.”

For those interested in learning about the role Forest Hills played during World War II, this is a don’t-miss event. Please consider a donation of $20 to support the Forest Hills Connection and RSVP in the comments or email [email protected].