She knows her grandmother’s unopened boxes of family heirlooms might contain details about her uncle’s life, but she never could have anticipated what she would find. Box after box, she is left in awe, and tears, over the objects inside, mementos that weave untold stories of ancestors she never knew. And by the time she finishes, she’s only just begun to unpack the legacy of her great-uncle, a Brigadier General with the 4th Infantry Division during WWII. Through a series of historically significant artifacts, she’s led down the beaches of Normandy and straight into the greatest adventure of her life. 

Unpacking Yesterday: A Brotherhood’s Legacy is based on this experience, chronicling the personal journeys of three people from two eras: Uncle Jim, Teddy Roosevelt, Jr., and the author herself. By sharing documents and artifacts found in family boxes as well as details from her own trip to France, the author takes participants down their own paths of discovery, learning about two great men, a war that changed the world, and legacy’s lasting impact.