Heart of Steel: Based on a True Story

Before dawn on September 13, 1920, a brutal murder shatters the quiet of the Pulchalski farmhouse in Southington, Ohio. Twelve-year-old Stanley is sent racing down a dusty country road, his mother’s desperate plea ringing in his ears—find the sheriff.

What follows is a shocking scandal that grips the town and upends Stanley’s world. Torn from his home, he and his siblings are thrust into a notorious orphanage in Warren, Ohio, where survival means enduring cruelty—and finding the courage to escape. Against impossible odds, Stanley’s unbreakable devotion to his family drives him forward. But will he ever outrun the ghosts of his past?

Based on true events, Heart of Steel is a riveting tale of resilience, love, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

Editorial Reviews
Heartfelt Story of Tragedy, Hardship, but most of all Love
Heart of Steel is one of those books that leaves you an emotional mess after you turn the final page. This heartfelt story is written by the grandson of Stanley Puchalski/Miller and what a story it is. Kevin Miller pulls out all the stops and pulls no punches when telling it like it must have happened. Told with heartfelt love of siblings and their mother, he writes as if he were walking in their footsteps and we are walking with him. I was captivated by the detail and how he set each scene. Raw, gritty and at times a bit bloody, I could not put it down until I reached the very last page. And at that last page, I had tears in my eyes. This is a book for the ages and it leaves one wondering just how many similar stories might be ferreted out if one were to just ask the right questions and look in the right closets. Read Heart of Steel – you won’t be disappointed.
-The Author Show - Linda Thompson

In this novel based on his family’s history, Miller writes about his grandfather in a dramatic, vivid manner and a shifting third-person perspective. The author offers readers a fast-paced, cinematic tale that covers Stanley’s travails—which include changing his last name to Miller at the age of 13 and working in a Chicago steel mill—rather than a sober, minutiae-filled biography.
-Kirkus Reviews

One day, author Kevin Miller discovered that his last name wasn’t Miller at all; it was Pulchalski. His grandfather, Stanley Pulchalski, changed his name in an attempt to reinvent himself after a family tragedy. Heart of Steel will take you back to the early morning hours of September 13, 1920, when events were set into motion that would reverberate into the present. At once a murder mystery, family drama, and sweeping romance, this book based on a true story is well worth the read.
-Early Bird Books, MacKenzie Stuart

Heart of Steel is the true story of Stanley Miller and it is hard to find a more realistic tale that will touch you deeply. Kevin D. Miller has written of abuse, murder, prohibition, life on the farm, pain, suffering and joy with so much heart and feeling. I felt as though I was sharing a story with a friend and felt all of Stanley’s emotional ups and downs with him. I cried, I laughed, I worried and I couldn’t stop reading Heart of Steel because it is just a really good book. Heart of Steel covers so many genres and is good reading for the young, the old, male and female – just about everyone should read this book.
-Reader's Favorites Book Reviews, Trudi LoPreto

What results is an empowering narrative with very relatable characters and the full gamut of human emotions on display. Overall, Heart of Steel lives up to its strong, emotive title, and is certainly recommended for fans of historical family sagas and true to life tales of triumph over adversity.
-Reader's Favorite Book Reviews, K.C. Finn