Robert Beckstedt’s Novel “The Great Great Aunts from Prussia” to be Showcased at the Los Angeles Book Confab and L.A. Times Festival of Books 2025

The captivating novel The Great Great Aunts from Prussia by Robert Beckstedt will be featured by the self-publishing and book marketing company ReadersMagnet at two prominent book events this April in California: the Los Angeles Book Confab on April 23-24, 2025, at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City in Universal City, and the 2025 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (LATFOB) on April 26-27, 2025, at the University of Southern California (USC) campus in Los Angeles.

ReadersMagnet is thrilled to host the Los Angeles Book Confab, which serves as a precursor to the 30th Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. This event is designed to provide passionate authors with a platform to share their literary talents with the world. Additionally, the Los Angeles Book Confab offers a unique opportunity for authors to connect with readers and fellow writers.

Conversely, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is the largest book festival in the nation, drawing an impressive crowd of 150,000 attendees. This free, two-day event unites authors and book enthusiasts to celebrate storytelling through book exhibits, panel discussions, and engaging performances.

The Great Great Aunts from Prussia unfolds during a summer when elderly sisters Mayme and Carrie Wehmeyer take care of their great-great nephew, Alex. Through Carrie’s storytelling, readers are transported back to the heroic past of her mother, Maria Rothert, who made history as the first Red Cross nurse to serve on a battlefield in 1866. As Carrie shares Maria’s journey—from her courageous decision to join the Red Cross against her mother’s wishes to her experiences on the battlefield—the narrative artfully weaves between past and present.

The story follows Maria, who, after graduating high school in Cologne, joins the Red Cross and meets her future husband, August, amidst the chaos of war. After saving his life, Maria faces wrongful accusations of a war crime but is ultimately acquitted, leading her to reevaluate her future. Following the war, Maria and August relocate to Boston, where August gains fame and Maria becomes a professor at Harvard. Together, they raise eight children, but a tragic family accident involving Mayme and Carrie casts a long shadow, resulting in Mayme’s struggles with alcoholism, depression, and Alzheimer’s. The narrative culminates in a poignant moment that leaves a lasting impact on Alex.

Get your copy of The Great Great Aunts from Prussia by Robert Beckstedt, available on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Join us at the 2025 Los Angeles Book Confab and visit the ReadersMagnet exhibit at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books 2025 at booth #225 to explore the book display.

Book Details
Author: Robert Beckstedt
Book title: The Great, Great Aunts from Prussia
Book Genre: General Fiction/Romance/Spirituality/History & Military
Publisher: Ewings Publishing LLC
Published Date: 2025

Author Bio
Robert Beckstedt obtained his English and Creative Writing degree from Miami, Ohio, in 1974. He has traveled the world working with people while studying their religions and cultures. Ian and Anton is his second novel, based on the years he worked and traveled between the US and a Black township in South Africa.

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