It is a very difficult book to describe because it is so many stories rolled into one. It all started 9 years ago when my brother asked me to tour the iconic, historic WBT-AM radio towers near my home. I knew nothing about radio towers but dragged my 7 year old daughter along on this "educational field trip." She was my official assistant and took notes on a little ladybug notepad, and asked questions. The radio station was kind enough to send us a retired WBT engineer, who took us on a personal tour.
If you are like me, you are probably thinking, "Who would be the slightest bit interested in touring radio towers, those big, ugly, steel antennas marring our landscape?" In all honesty, that is what I thought as I drove to the towers. However, from the moment I saw them, and really saw them, I was intrigued. While not well-versed in radio towers, I knew they were an unusual shape -- elongated diamonds. As our tour progressed, I was captivated by a series of mysteries that swirled about those towers. Firstly, why the unusual shape? No one knows! The towers were built in the 1930's, and all the original documents had been lost in a company fire. Few of the iconic design were built, and only 9 remain in the entire world. Three of them are at the WBT-AM tower site. Secondly, I discovered that two of the towers were knocked down in 1989 by Hurricane Hugo. They were rebuilt exactly! Why rebuild old historic towers when it surely would have been cheaper to erect modern designs? Thirdly, I found out the towers were rebuilt perfectly without blueprints! Now I am not an engineer but to attempt an exact reproduction of hurricane-mangled towers without blueprints seemed impossible. The tour guide assured me it was no easy task, and gave me the name of the tower builder who accomplished this miracle. And fourthly, there was an old WWII-era rotating aircraft beacon atop the transmitter building. No one knew why it was there, nor who had installed it, nor what its purpose had been. For nearly 80 years it had perched in a very public place on a very famous radio station rooftop...and no one knew anything about what it was doing there!
Well that was the clincher. I became a detective that day 9 years ago, determined to find the tower builder and solve those mysteries. The tower builder, Tony Fonseca, was as perfect a book hero as I could have wished for - generous, considerate, eager to help, kind, handsome, and with a life story that perfectly matched the story of the tower rebuild itself. To spice it up, there is a wonderful love story that seems to have been written for a movie. (In fact, if you are a movie producer, yes, I am happy to talk with you.) On the trail to a solution, I uncovered mountains of amazing and little known stories from America's past, particularly from the early days of aviation and WWII navigation and piloting feats.
In those 9 years, there were many frustrations, and many experts who told me my theories in solving the mysteries were wrong. Nonetheless, the hand of God was miraculously present, and time after time, uncovered clues that led me steadily towards a solution. That is all I will tell you, other than after nine years, I solved every mystery I set out to solve. This book is ostensibly about towers and the people who build and climb them in the most dangerous job on earth. But it is really about God, who reveals Himself in the most unusual ways through the commonplace lives of mere humans.
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Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my stronghold in whom I take refuge, my shield, the glory of my salvation, and my high tower.
I've followed this work of Vicky's anmd commented upon it (as did some of you) from its inception. It is everything she says it is . . . and much more! You will learn much in reading it . . . enjoy it greatly, and cheer for Vicky (and Asherel) and the Tower Builder in the process.
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