What began as a private project for his own family quickly turned into a local success story. Pastor Bill West, a retired pastor and former shipyard worker, originally started typing out memories so his grandchildren could understand a world they never got to experience firsthand. “Initially I wrote the book to leave a legacy for my grandkids, so they’ll know where we came from,” said Mr. West, the retired senior pastor at Severn Church in Gloucester, noting that his grandchildren never got to meet his own beloved grandfather. “But also, I started writing some funny stories that happened when I was down there,” he continued, “and the book got out to some people. They read it, they loved it, and I couldn’t keep them in stock. I was like, wow. I mean, I’m not a writer.” His books—”Growing up in Guinea; Stories of Guinea, Ministry, Baseball and other Interesting Things,” and “This Really Happened in Guinea” detail the gritty, everyday realities of old-school life in the area. He covers ev...