J. Michael Finkner

Letters from Grandpa Mike: Who Loves Ya, Baby Delaney J. Michael Finkner

Letters From Grandpa Mike: Who Loves Ya Baby Hailley?, is a remarkably compelling collection of letters, written by the author, to a future granddaughter. The letters' topics are wide ranging, and embody the deepest emotions and the wild humor of the author, as he considers his role as a grandfather (and not for the first time, either), as well as the family and worldly knowledge that he can pass along. This book is essentially the second in a series, following the first one, titled Letters From Grandpa Mike: Who Loves Ya Baby Spencer?. That first book was inspired by the author's interest in coming to grips with what it means to be a grandfather. Yet that spirit has been transformed into something larger: a strong desire to pass along to his entire family his innermost beliefs and memories, and how they fit into the context of the world awaiting Baby Hailley. Using a clever technique, he allows the reader to imagine what the unborn child is saying in response to the author's statements. The book concludes with a moving letter written to a grandchild who was sadly lost in early pregnancy, and who would have been an older sibling to Hailley. The collection also contains a letter written to the author and his wife, from their son, Hailley's father. With a flair for lively writing, John Michael Finkner describes some of the many foibles of himself, his family members, and the world at large -- a fascinating world into which Baby Hailley will one day be born, not knowing that she already has a book waiting forher. It is a book that she will no doubt delight in reading when she reaches the stage of literacy. Readers everywhere have an advantage, in that they can enjoy the author's stories and thoughts now.