Tom Orrell's "Shenandoah Whispers and Echoes" is a narrative embedded within an account by Steven Dickenson, a Virginia newspaperman that was given an old journal. Dickenson, interested in the journal, agrees to read through and prepare for publication the diary of James Randolph Wise of Staunton, Virginia. Wise, born a decade preceding the Civil War, writes a vivid account of his and his family's life through the upheavals faced by common people during and after the Civil War. Wise's moving tale progresses through the first 47 years of his heart-breaking life where tragedy upon tragedy rules his life; his brother, Shelby, dies fighting for the Confederacy, Union troops destroy his father's farm as General Hunter destroyed the Shenandoah Valley, and both his beloved wife and sister die during childbirth. Eventually his parents die, leaving home alone. However, his father, before passing on, tells him of gold that his brother had found in the California gold rush years before. Locating the gold, Wise pays debts and sells the farm to move to town and make a life with the masonry he loved to word with. He makes a successful business and marries Beverly, a widow living with her mother. Wise is happy for a couple of years until tragedy strikes again. Left alone once again, he decides to travel the country, meeting people and expanding his horizons. Infused with enthusiasm upon returning home to his beloved Staunton, he returns with a positive outlook and truly helps Daniel Jefferson, a former slave who also lost his family. Wise becomes a philanthropist, living a life of giving for satisfaction.