In the Shadow of Fort McHenry

Remembrances of a Childhood Past

By: Thomas Sawyer

Narrated by: Brian Richy

In 1931, the US was in the throes of the Depression, money was scarce, and most children went to work in blue-color jobs before finishing high school. Into this world, Thomas Sawyer arrived and was soon shuttled to various relatives following his mother’s affair before moving with his mother and two siblings into a small apartment in South Baltimore with another of her paramours.

Although underscored by a tumultuous relationship with his unconventional mother, author Thomas Sawyer's nostalgic and poignant firsthand account of growing up in a bygone era before television, internet, and washing machines recalls a simpler time. A time when a neighborhood was a community, kids fended for themselves, and joy was found in Saturdays at the movies, boxcar hopping, sledding on busy thoroughfares, and listening to the radio with the parlor lights off.

From Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball to news of Pearl Harbor and World War II, In the Shadow of Fort McHenry takes listeners on an unforgettable journey through one man’s childhood, and the experiences—both national and personal—that defined him and an entire generation.

©2025 Thomas E. Sawyer (P)2025 Thomas E. Sawyer