'The Village and Beyond: Memoirs of a Cotton Mill Boy' is Released

Athens, GA

At the age of 87, William Hale found himself recently retired for a second time with the urge to share his story and life lessons that can best come with age. After a lifetime spent in education and professional speaking, Hale relishes in the beauty and power of the human spirit and indulges in his passion of the art of storytelling.

In Hale's new book, "The Village and Beyond: Memoirs of a Cotton mill Boy," he recounts the deep feeling of growing up in a small, South Carolina village during the Great Depression and describes his search for the moments that encouraged him to become a man of curiosity.

"I tend to romance the Depression where others have told the story with pathos and derogatory feeling about the people," Hale said. "Life during the Depression is seen through the mind of a boy who was innocent of the woes of the times but enjoyed the difference in how family was done."

Hale earnestly wishes his parents, who have since passed on, could have read his memoir. He said, "I think they would be intrigued by the way their little Billy saw life from the distance of 88 years. Age should not be a block to writing a book-in fact, it should be an enhancing quality."

Not only will the older generation be able to reminisce on memories of their youth, young people will also learn a valuable lesson in questioning all facets of life.

"I am at the deepest part of me a teacher," Hale said. "The education of our youth takes place in many more places than in classrooms. The real lessons of life are often found in the every minuteness of being."

"The Village and Beyond"
By William Hale
ISBN: 978-1-4917-2644-0
Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse online bookstores

About the Author
William Hale, now almost 88 years old, has been a drum major of an army band, teacher, school administrator, professor, television executive, writer, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He holds degrees from Furman University, the University of South Carolina and Florida State University and has also been a nationally sought-after speaker and seminar leader in the field of human awareness. He currently lives in Athens, GA, with his wife, Helen.

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