Meet the Author: Solace Wales

The Larkspur Library is excited to host local author Solace Wales who will be discussing her latest book Braided in Fire.

Braided in Fire: Black GIs and Tuscan Villagers on the Gothic Line 1944 is the stirring author’s search to understand the drama that unfolded between the Italian peasants and African-American infantrymen of the 366th Infantry Regiment whose lives were lost, or changed irrevocably by a village battle in Tuscany during the Battle of Garfagnana.

Cultures and relationships are intertwined to become Braided in Fire in Sommocolonia, a medieval Tuscan village in the Apennines directly on the highly fortified Third Reich’s ‘Gothic Line’ stretching across northern Italy. Only at Sommocolonia did attacking German troops break through that formidable line, with dire consequences to the inhabitants and their defenders, a handful of black GIs, who were outnumbered three to one by the Axis troops. In the desperate fight, Lt. John Fox sacrificed himself with supreme heroism. (He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor 52 years later.) Although the military action, (and tragic inaction of certain senior white officers), is described in detail, Braided in Fire is not just military history, but tells of the human toll of war: the drama, the folly, the heartache – all present in grand measure for two peoples marginalized over the years for reasons of race and economic circumstances.

This event was made possible by the Friends of the Larkspur Library.

Friday, March 26, 2021
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM PDT

Free Online Event ■ Tickets via Eventbrite

Larkspur Library
400 Magnolia Avenue
Larkspur, CA 94939
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