In 1945 Frederick Manfred published his novel "Boy Almighty." The book was recently reissued and this provided me with the opportunity to speak to his daughter Freya Manfred about a novel that was deeply autobiographical. Most of the story is set in a sanitarium in the Midwest where patients were undergoing treatments to try to overcome tuberculosis. Manfred was writing what he knew, he once spent two years in a similar facility recovering from TB.
Manfred's body of work is massive, to prepare for this interview I read "Boy Almighty" as well as several other books by the author. I even read a memoir that Freya Manfred wrote about her father following his death in 1994. Reading that book gave me some revealing insights into a man who wrote so many incredible novels and the relationship that he had had with my guest Freya Manfred.
The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Librarywith additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.
