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Atmosphere Press
Pub date Jan. 24 2023
ISBN 978-1639885459
Price $26.14 (USD) Paperback
Growing up in New Berlin, a small German immigrant town in Ohio, Jacob Miller has seen nothing but difficulties. When he meets the lovely Bonnie, life begins to look promising. The couple gets married and have an adorable son soon after. But their life turns upside down after the war lands resolutely on their doorstep, throwing Jacob into the middle of the war. The thoroughly engaging third-person omniscient narrative voice is laced with empathy and places readers directly into the characters’ lives, revealing their inner turmoil, fears, insecurities, hopes, and dreams. Through the bigotry and discrimination the German Americans suffer in the face of German domination of Europe during World War II, Brown ably portrays the hateful behavior that can result when a civilized society feel threatened by things they don’t understand: she artfully depicts the way German American institutions came under attack, with the names of towns, schools, and foods being changed and the centuries-old tradition of German language and literature pushed to the sideline. Her portrayal of her characters’ struggles with their feelings as they realize that their sympathy for their homeland might be taken as a betrayal to America is equally compelling. With a focus on familial ties and relationships, this beautifully written tale makes for a solid read.
***
Categories: historical drama, historical fiction
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