Happy Birthday, Grandpa Alex
Happy birthday, Grandpa! I think you would have been 111 years old today. I really still miss you. I love that we almost share a birthday and yours goes right … Continue reading
Dearly Beloved S.O.B.!
Happy holidays! Today we’ve got a letter from the strange liminal week between Christmas and New Years. This letter from Sylvia is great because it’s interrupted by some visiting neighbors … Continue reading
Think of all the ugly things about me
I love that in this letter Sylvia warns Alex not to idealize her. She has imposter syndrome about her relationship! It’s an interesting side effect of correspondence and prolonged absence: … Continue reading
Why should I develop those horrible bourgeois traits!
Happy Thanksgiving! Today, in honor of the chaotic consumerism that is Black Friday, we have a letter from Sylvia written the week after Thanksgiving expressing some jealousy of her neighbor’s … Continue reading
Tonsorial Operation [aka Haircuts!]
A short letter from Alex about keeping your head up, waiting, and haircuts. Nov 8, 1944 Dearest lover of mine, Another day has gone by and we still are here … Continue reading
Thursday will now be a word of magic for me
Happy Thursday! Here’s a sweet letter from Sylvia who sounds a bit giddy from playing with Adrienne and having talked to (in her words, “kibbutzed”) with neighbors all day long. … Continue reading
I have a personal grudge against Dewey
In this letter Alex describes tying the ship to a tanker to get water – and much needed diversions. He also talks of the election and playing chess. Alex to … Continue reading
You won a contest … Are we the exceptions?
This sweet, short letter was written the day after the 1944 election and Alex describes mailing his ballot with a note saying he is disappointed that he didn’t receive it … Continue reading
Democracy over Fascism: “I hope you haven’t neglected sending in your ballot”
Yesterday I, like millions other Americans, cast my ballot in the midterm elections and then waited anxiously into the evening for the results to roll in. With this year’s Supreme … Continue reading
What do you think, you’re in the Bronx?
This letter from Alex goes through a lot of his personal relationships with other sailors, details about discipline, washing, synagogue, and life during training. It’s a lot to unpack but … Continue reading
Brooklyn in Love and at War 