Leland The Book by Shane Blakeslee

It would have been a wonderful life.

A boy from Bolivar. A war that changed everything. A life that could have changed the world.

What if he came home? From Western New York to the stars—and back again.

About the Book

Leland, a historical fiction novel blending real and imagined life of Leland Blakeslee.

Leland Blakeslee died in the Korean War. But what if he didn’t?

Set in Western New York and inspired by true events, Leland is a sweeping alternate history of invention, sacrifice, and the life that could have been.

HAPPY READERS

Reviews By Readers

I just finished your book and I couldn't stop! I found myself wondering why I hadn't heard of all the wonderful things that Leland did for Bolivar and the world. Even though I am not originally from Bolivar, being the Town Clerk, I am learning so much about Bolivar's history. Bolivar has been and still is the home of extraordinary people and your uncle was definitely one of them! I truly enjoyed this and thank you so much for the privilege of being able to read it!

“This book broke me—in the best way.” I picked up Leland expecting a quiet historical novel. I did not expect to be crying at 2 a.m. over a character who never even got the chance to live in real life. Shane Blakeslee has written something beautiful and devastating. I’ll be thinking about this story for a long, long time.

“A must-read for anyone who’s ever asked, ‘What if?’” I’m not usually one for war novels, but Leland is so much more than that. It’s about possibility. About legacy. About kindness. The imagined life of Leland Blakeslee feels so real, so earned, that you almost forget it didn’t happen. And honestly, part of me still believes it did.

I gave this to my dad, my daughter, and my book club.” There’s something universal about Leland. It doesn’t matter if you’re into science, history, small-town Americana, or just good storytelling—this book delivers. It made me want to hug my family and do something meaningful with my life.

“This is It’s a Wonderful Life meets Hidden Figures meets The Things They Carried.” An incredible blend of alternate history and emotional truth. You’ll fall in love with Leland as a boy, root for him as a man, and weep for everything the world lost when war stole someone like him. By the final chapter, I wasn’t just crying—I was inspired.

“A powerful alternate history that feels more like an act of grace than fiction.” Leland is a rare kind of novel—quietly ambitious, emotionally generous, and deeply humane. Shane Blakeslee has imagined a world not only in which one man survives war, but in which decency survives ambition. This book doesn’t just ask what could have been—it dares to build it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shane Blakeslee

Shane Blakeslee is a husband, father, brother and entrepreneur. He is the founder of Blakeslee Technologies, an engineering and manufacturing firm. From Olean, New York, and now based in Cary, North Carolina, he also owns OriginalLIFEmagazines.com—the world’s largest retailer of original LIFE magazines.

His debut novel, Leland, reimagines the life of a young man lost in the Korean War and explores the legacy he might have left behind. Inspired by personal history and a deep reverence for unrealized potential, Shane writes to honor the overlooked, the forgotten, and the futures cut short by war. His work asks the timeless question: What if?

HARDCOVER, PAPERBACK AND DIGITAL

Buy Book Now

Leland by Shane Blakeslee is a moving work of historical fiction that imagines the life that might have been lived by Leland Blakeslee, a 19-year-old soldier who died in the Korean War. The novel begins in a small town in New York and reimagines a future in which Leland survives the war, returns home, marries his sweetheart, and pursues a life of innovation and service. From helping power NASA’s moon missions to founding a company that brings clean, decentralized energy to millions around the world, Leland’s fictional legacy becomes a meditation on resilience, compassion, and possibility. Rich with historical detail, emotional depth, and a profound sense of purpose, the story asks the haunting question: What if?—reminding us of the brilliance and humanity lost to war and the futures that could have changed the world.

$4.99- $17.99

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