By Ray Raphael

The Historical Society bookstore caries all manner of books that fall under the category of "history". There are books about communities, the environment or historical events. There are also memories and biographies.  And then there is local historian, Ray Raphael's latest book which is a bit of everything: "A Life in History".

       It begins with a Greenwich Village childhood and a post-high school  adventure hiking and hitchhiking westward, studying at Reed and UC Berkeley, then fully experiencing the sixties with the Civil Rights movement, the anti Vietnam protests and life as a "peacenik" hippie. Then came the back-to-the-land movement on the Lost Coast where he taught in an alternative school, touched on the then-illegal pot industry, married and raised two boys in an era questioning male dominance, kayaked, and acquired the inspiration to delve into history.

       We learn too about Raphael's maturing as an author and historian - about how his life experiences influenced his perspective on history, both local and national, and about his diving into genealogy. 

       In many ways, the book's title, "A Life in History", encapsulates it.  It tells of a life lived through historic times and formed by them. And it also celebrates an esteemed writer and historian who has shared some of his historic life with all of us.