Author, Andrea Pytak Holds Book Signing at Shenandoah Library
Thank you Stephen Pytak for sharing this story about your mother with us. Congratulations, Andrea!
A member of the Downtown Shenandoah Inc. family wrote a book about her history. It’s Andrea Marie (Mallick) Pytak, 77, of Lost Creek, West Mahanoy Township. And on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, she talked about her work at a special event held at the Shenandoah Area Free Public Library, before a crowd of more than 20.
"I was born and raised in this area. I'm very interested in history, and when my aunts and uncles were alive I never thought about it. So when I started writing this book, I had to do things from memory,” she told the crowd.
Five years ago, she and her son, Stephen, an independent novelist and publisher, embarked on a project to chronicle the lives of the first three generations of her family in America. The book is called "Hard Coal and Onion Domes."
"After I retired I was taking notes on my family, and when I was sick in the hospital, in rehab, I put a lot of thoughts down. And Stephen would come in and I would read them to him. And he'd type them. This is all about my family, and me growing up in Lost Creek. I still live in the same home I was born and raised in," Andrea said at the event.
She is one of the descendants of Theodore "Frank" and Mary (Comishock) Mallick, who have their roots in Reped, a village in Poland. That's the Russian spelling. In Polish, it's Rzepedź.
The book includes stories about how some of her relatives worked in local anthracite mines. It also includes a history of the first Ukrainian-Greek Catholic Church in America, St. Michael's. The cover features a painting of how that parish's first church building looked when it was built. The painting is by Celeste Johnson of Ringtown, Pennsylvania.
Andrea was president of the Greater Shenandoah Area Historical Society, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. She was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Shenandoah Area Free Public Library. And, she was the secretary for Downtown Shenandoah Inc.
Mary Luscavage attended the event and shared that Andrea has always had a thirst for her ancestors. "Her book is a tribute to her family and all the miners in Shenandoah," she shared. It tells about traditions, strife, family, and faith in such a way it could be anyone's story from the region. Thank you Andrea for not forgetting our roots, she added.
The book is available to purchase on Stephen's website.
