SO WE PRAYED

A Memoir by Eric Graves

So We Prayed

Booker and Esther: a World War II soldier and the woman who became his bride. Their story of love, faith, work, and family carries a legacy that reaches beyond one family.

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A family diary and handwritten letters gathered beside an open Bible

Their letters, diary, and family memories bring the story close.

A World War II soldier and his brideTwo lives joined by courtship, choice, and devotion
Letters, a diary, and family memoriesFirsthand voices carry the story across generations
Love that enduresA family legacy shaped by faith and care
Painterly portraits of Booker and Esther based on their archival photographs
Booker and Esther, from the family photographs.
First came the letters. Then a marriage, a family, and a legacy.

The story

A courtship. A marriage. A life built together.

Esther was a college student with plans of her own. Booker was a quiet young World War II soldier. A dance brought them together; letters carried their courtship forward. In their differences as much as their devotion, they built a life that would shape generations.

Through letters, a diary, and family memories, their journey unfolds across changing towns and seasons of life. The memoir then follows their son Eric, tracing how the example of two people shaped a family, a calling, and a life of his own.

Its questions reach beyond one family: how do two people build a home, face change together, and give the next generation something steady to carry forward?

Book editionsAudiobook and listening sample

Inside the memoir

A family story that travels beyond its time and place.

The setting is specific; the questions are familiar: how do two people build a home, respond to change, and make a path for their children?

01 / THE MEETING

Letters and courtship

A wartime dance begins a courtship shaped by handwritten letters and strong family bonds.

02 / THE LIFE THEY BUILT

Work and home

Teaching, raising children, and meeting each new chapter side by side.

03 / WHAT ENDURES

A family legacy

A son follows the lessons of love, faith, resilience, and care into his own life.

A little family history

Pop Quiz: five questions, one family story.

Try a few details from the opening chapters of So We Prayed. Each answer reveals a little more about Booker, Esther, and the family they built.

A five-question Pop Quiz

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Ready to try your hand?

Want to spend more time with Booker and Esther’s story?

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Question of the Week

What lesson from your parents or grandparents still guides you today?

A new question appears each Monday. Share your answer with family or friends—and bring their stories into the conversation around So We Prayed.

The evidence behind the memories

A family archive, brought into the story.

Letters and a diary add the voices of an earlier generation to family interviews and recollections. They help keep the memoir close to what was lived, written, and remembered.

The book’s supporting materials include selected family documents and notes, presented alongside the narrative.

What helps tell the story

  • Booker’s letters from military service
  • Esther’s diary and family records
  • Interviews and memories from relatives
  • Photographs and selected historical materials
Eric Graves in a warm brown blazer

About the author

Eric Graves

Eric Graves tells the story of his parents, Booker and Esther, and the influence their lives had on his own. His memoir follows the family through change, work, faith, and the choices that helped shape the generations after them.

At its heart, So We Prayed is a son’s act of remembrance—and an invitation to reflect on the people whose example continues to guide us.

Book editionsAudiobook and listening sample

Book & audio editions

So We Prayed is in editorial review.

Buy buttons will go live as soon as retailer listings are available. We’ll list the confirmed print, ebook, and audiobook options here.

Retail links coming when available
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Listen to a sample

Hear the train scene.

A longer excerpt from the train scene can play here once the audio is ready.

Train-scene sample coming soon