The Wars Among the Paines
The Wars Among the Paines

For as far back as anyone could remember, few families in the town of Menschville, Pennsylvania were more well regarded than the Paines. Tracing their lineage back to colonial times, the Paine family had for centuries been known as well educated, industrious, charitable, and, perhaps most of all, heroic, participating in nearly every American conflict since the revolutionary war. The Paines were a testament to the patriotism, class, and affluence of the American dream.  

But while tales of their storied heroics loomed large in hearts and minds across Menschville, behind closed doors, the fog of war loomed even larger among the Paines themselves where generations of tragedy, pain, and secrecy had left them intimately familiar with the true costs of war.  

Spanning over 200 years of American military history, “The Wars Among the Paines” (Koehler Books, September 30, 2020), tells the complex story of a family defined by war, accounting in vivid detail its toll in blood, treasure, and emotional turmoil. Nearly 50 years in the making, “The Wars Among the Paines” is the debut novel by Vietnam veteran John M. Millar, who tells a story that illustrates how the consequences of America's foreign wars escape the boundaries of the front lines, and ripple through generations of families, friends, politics, and the lives of we the people.

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Historical Fiction

Age Level: 

  • Adult
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The War Among the Paines is a riveting life story of a family that is historically affected by war. Treat Paine narrates this story and explains the history of his family to his wife on the way to his mother’s funeral. He takes us back through WWI, WWII, and both the Korean and Vietnam wars. Throughout the story, Treat attends Cornell University, falls in love with many women, and experiences war for himself. Through each recount of the past, readers learn more about the Paine family complexities and how war has infiltrated everyone’s lives.

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