For POW, Drum Major Jackson, music was a source of hope. On May 8, 1945, the forty-six-year-old Drum Major Jackson, dressed in tattered rags and with decayed boots held together by string, emerged from the Austrian Alps after enduring twenty days of forced marching as a prisoner of war in Nazi labour camps. He collapsed into the arms of his American liberators, clutching his war diary, his most cherished possession. Despite experiencing the horrors of battle in the First World War, Jackson had managed to survive unlike many of his younger comrades who had succumbed to disease, insanity, or death. Little did he know, the challenges he faced on the home front would be just as daunting. Jackson's diary and photos, a testament to human endurance, serve as the inspiration for The Music Maker, a captivating true story of a humble man who triumphed over extreme adversity through his love for music.
About the Author:
Jaci Byrne, the granddaughter of the late Drum Major Henry Barnes Jackson, is a full-time writer who has published four novels and a series of children's books. The Music Maker is her first venture into non-fiction.
