A book release and signing event will be held on Friday, March 8 from 6:00-7:00 at the Blue Bunny Bookstore, 577 High Street, where Jim Parr, Jim Parr is a 1977 graduate of Dedham High, and a retired Framingham teacher, works part-time as a bookseller. His new book is entitled World War II Massachusetts.

Parr’s research took him across the state to museums, historical sites, and abandoned military facilities, and revealed many surprises and a few mysteries along the way. Tales of escaped Prisoners of War, under-appreciated Massachusetts heroes, the unexpected role of horses, and a mystery surrounding a weeks-old baby on V-E (Victory-Europe) Day in Boston are just the type of quirky details Parr has included in his three previous local histories, including Dedham: Historic and Heroic Tales of Shiretown, all published by The History Press. The book contains 70 images, many never before published.