The Woodpecker

Published posthumously, The Woodpecker by John Doc Heaps is an incredible legacy from the author of Headwaters Country: The Story of Tioga County. In this rich and intricate historic fiction, the love child of a German soldier and a Swiss maiden will make his mark on the world. Peter Ammeter is that child, a boy who becomes a man during the tumultuous hardships and ultimate surrender of the Great Depression. While his path is paved with the best of intentions, he will be forced to join the Civilian Conservation Corps to save his own life and keep his family fed. As his worldviews broaden and deepen through his connection with fellow corps members, he must make a few tough decisions if he is to live up to what his mother and oldest friend, Charlene, expect of him. Not to mention that the beautiful and mysterious Lily, a girl from Drury’s Run Hollow, will change absolutely everything Peter suspects of the future.