Camden Public Library welcomes author Barbara Kent Lawrence to speak about her recent book, Both Sides of the Pond: My Family’s War, 1933-1946, on Thursday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m., in the Picker Room.

 

In January of 1939 when Barbara Greene, a beautiful young British actress, met Joe Kennedy, Jr., son of the American Ambassador, she could not have expected that their relationship would lead to her emigrating to the United States and learning to pilot a plane. Neither could her brother, Kent, have foreseen his bitter retreat from Dunkirk when he left England in January 1940 to fight in France, or his subsequent service on the frontlines in Cornwall, North Africa, Sicily, and Burma.

 

In January of 1939 when British film star Barbara Greene met Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., she could not have expected this would lead to her emigrating to the United States and learning to pilot a plane. Nor could her brother Kent have foreseen his bitter retreat from Dunkirk when he left England in January 1940 to fight in France, or his subsequent service on the frontlines in Cornwall, North Africa, Sicily, and Burma.

 

In this intensively researched story of Barbara Kent Lawrence’s own mother and uncle, their intertwined journeys reveal a powerful, deeply personal portrait of World War II, where love endures, dreams are shattered, and ordinary people are called to extraordinary acts.

 

"Richly illustrated with photographs and documents, Both Sides of the Pond, My Family’s War is a captivating book," said Camden Public Library, in a news release.

 

Dr. Barbara Kent Lawrence, Ed.D. is the author of many articles and nine books, as well as an award-winning dissertation about the influence of culture on aspirations in Maine. A former professor, she has taught courses in anthropology and sociology, research, and writing non-fiction and memoir. Lawrence grew up in New York City and Washington D.C., then earned a BA in anthropology from Bennington College, an MA in sociology from New York University, and an EdD in Administration, Policy and Planning from Boston University.

 

In addition to teaching, Lawrence has worked for the Department of Social Services and the Housing Development Administration in New York, directed a small museum in Maine, co-run a brokerage and construction company, consulted for the Rural School and Community Trust and KnowledgeWorks, and started four non-profit organizations supporting the environment and students. She lives in Maine and is working on the third novel in her Islands series.