13183. D’Entremont, Jeremy. Everyday Heroes: The True Story of a Lighthouse Family. Coastlore Media. 2013. 252p. Soft wraps. Wonderfully illustrated with 26 black and white photos and maps. Lighthouses are an essential part of our American culture. They stand as symbols of altruism, strength, hope, faith and guidance. And today, in the age of automation, they also stand as memorials to the lighthouse keepers and their families who once devoted themselves to “keeping a good light” in service to mariners. Traditional lighthouse keeping has passed into history with automation, but there are still those who recall lighthouse life with nostalgia. Seamond Ponsart Roberts, daughter of a lighthouse keeper, is one of those people. Seamond was born while her parents lived at the rugged Dumpling Rock Light Station off Dartmouth, Massachusetts. She went on to spend the rest of her youth at two other southeastern Massachusetts light stations: Cuttyhunk Island and West Chop on Martha’s Vineyard. During her lighthouse years, Seamond experienced good times and bad, tragedy and heroism. She is a born storyteller who has always shared her memories with family and friends, and her unique story is now told in the new book – Everyday Heroes: The True Story of a Lighthouse Family. “I am, and always will be, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter. I had the good fortune to be born to a different kind of childhood. I didn’t recognize this fact back when I was small. I thought that everybody lived like we did on our little island of Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts, which in itself was a life apart,” she writes. This is the true story of a family’s life at lighthouses on the edge of civilization. It’s a story of adventure, danger, devotion to duty, and love. Seamond Ponsart Roberts shares her memories and emotions with good humor, a sharp eye for detail, and above all an appreciation for a way of life that has passed into history. (M). $16.99.