Charles Paul Collins' first novel, 'The Remembering: Of Leather and Stone' is a compelling odyssey across 150 years of American history as told through the stories of three struggling families. We present here an excerpt in the voice of its first narrator, Irish Great Hunger exile Cornelius Collins. Monday, November 22, 1852We were woken up before sunrise by members of the ship’s crew, telling us that Boston was in sight and to make ready. After forty-one days at sea, everyone, including myself, couldn’t believe we were actually hearing those words. No one could wait to get off that ship, and we moved quickly to gather our belongings.Those of us with few possessions made our way up the stairs to the top deck to catch our first glimpse of Boston. All you could see in the distance at first was a wavy line of small hills against the cold, clear blue November sky.As the Clara Wheeler moved into the harbor channel and the morning sun rose behind us, the shapes of buildings on the shore became clearer, their brick-red and grayish-black colors standing out. Then the ship’s crew jumped when the captain commanded to drop anchor where we sat.
