‘A window and a mirror’: Lake Oswego author tells story of her World War II veteran father and the trauma they shared

For decades, Lake Oswego resident Becky Ellis and her father Louis Boswell avoided the source of their collective pain.

Boswell did not discuss the horrors of World War II for 70 years, while Ellis meticulously avoided mention of her childhood raised by a dad suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

That all changed about 10 years ago when the two finally sat down for a tuna sandwich and opened up to each other. Along with forging a deeper connection, the conversations resulted in “Little Avalanches,” Ellis’s memoir that recently won the 2024 Rubery Book Award for Nonfiction. The Rubery Book Award honors books that are self published or from independent presses.

“I feel very honored by it and humbled by it,” Ellis said. “I hope with the award the book will find its way into readers' hands who it will serve.”

The book is broken up into three sections — Ellis’s childhood, Boswell’s time in World War II and the connection they forged late in Boswell’s life.

Ellis said her dad put himself and his family into dangerous situations growing up — like climbing down treacherous terrain on a hike or forcing her to man the handlebars while riding Boswell’s motorcycle with him.

“My father had a lot of leftover residue from the war. He was emotionally detached. He was very strict. We lived under his rule. He wanted us to be tough as nails and survive anything. He never let us quit anything,” Ellis said.

Ellis said the conversations began after her dad asked her if they had any issues to clear up. Ellis mentioned having never heard anything about his experience in the war, and Boswell reluctantly agreed to divulge.

“Once I started hearing about it, I knew I needed to write a story about it because not much is written about what happens when soldiers come home and try to raise families, especially from a child’s perspective,” Ellis said.

Boswell served in the 104th Infantry Division (known as the timberwolves) in the war and at one point fought on the battlefield for 172 consecutive days as the Allies forged their way from France to Belgium and into Nazi Germany. During that time, Boswell had little to eat, was freezing cold and had to cope with the horrors of seeing his fellow soldiers perish.

He also earned a Silver Star certificate for swimming to commandeer a boat while evading enemy gunfire so that soldiers could cross a river.

“Seeing what horror was happening there, I think he felt it was absolutely necessary. I don’t think he had a feeling of pride. He told me his survival was insignificant. He thought it was necessary to be there and help the effort,” Ellis said.

Absolutely exhausted after swimming to the boat, Boswell collapsed and was hospitalized for months. After the war ended, he worked in the French secret service trying to root out the black market there as he waited for a boat headed home.

Ellis said the third part of the book shows how the trauma Boswell dealt with was passed down to her and the rest of her family. It also reveals how Boswell began to display more pride for his service, even wearing a military cap and talking to people about his service late in life after the two began their dialogue.

“I want the book to be a window and mirror. For other veteran families it’s a mirror and it’s a window for non-veterans who will understand military service isn’t a few years; it’s a life-changing experience and sacrifice that lasts a lifetime,” Ellis said.

For more information about the book, visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Little-Avalanches/Becky-Ellis/9798888451663.