The Barbarossa Covenant; by Ian A. O'Connor

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MWSA Review
I grew up in an Irish Catholic family, hearing about the miracle at Fatima, where the Virgin Mary appeared to three Portuguese children in 1917. Our Lady appeared several times, asking the children to pray the rosary.
I never dreamt that nearly 100 years after the miracle, I’d read a fabulous thriller, The Barbarossa Covenant, that tied one of the children (now Sister Lucia) to a plot to save England from a Nazi attack during World War II.

Author Ian O’Connor successfully brings the miracle, England’s war strategy, the Russian czars and the present-day papacy together in a fast-paced plot that threatens to destroy the Vatican. Justin Scott, a retired FBI agent, lands in the middle of a terrorist attack when he arrives in Rome at the invitation of a cardinal. The Pope needs him to verify the authenticity of a letter in time to prevent catastrophe.

The characters interact seamlessly with historical figures and events. At one point, Scott visits Queen Elizabeth II in a well-written scene. Once you enter O’Connor’s world, the plot is believable and he ties historical eras and events together to offer readers a great read. Suspenseful, yes indeed, and you’ll most likely discover some new little piece of history.

MWSA Reviewer: 

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Author's Synopsis

"Author O'Connor...has written a nifty thriller that...holds reader interest with his breakneck plot...fits nicely in the Tom Clancy-meets-Dan Brown canon." -- Kirkus Reviews

Past and present collide in the opening pages of The Barbarossa Covenant when retired FBI agent Justin Scott becomes a target for assassination while en route to Rome at the behest of the Vatican's secretary of state. Before learning why, the reader is whisked back to 1940 wartime London where British Intelligence is working feverishly on an audacious plan to thwart the imminent cross-channel Nazi invasion. With England's fate hanging in the balance, a papal emissary hand-delivers a sealed letter to Adolf Hitler from a source no mortal would dare ignore or disobey. The letter is lost to history in 1945 with the fall of Berlin--only to surface without warning in the Vatican seven decades later. Penned by an unimpeachable source, it states with a God-given certitude that the time of the Dies Irae (The Day of Wrath) is now. A very troubled pope wants Justin to authenticate or disprove both message and messenger--an admitted all but impossible task as the Doomsday Clock readies to strike midnight.

Near Death / Near Life; by Dennis Maulsby

MWSA Review
Vivid imagery and thought-provoking shards of brilliance  

Near Death Near Life by Dennis Maulsby is a journey into the past and a peek at the future.  We live; we die.  We are touched by both.  Some parts leaves scars, others laugh lines. Maulsby forces one to think about both experiences with broad meaning but concise precision at times.  The flashes of brilliance force one to pause and remember one’s own brushes with death and glory in the joy of living. It reminded me that pain sometimes makes me feel close to the kind of life I dreamt about, but somehow reaching for it with frustration as I fall short of my ideal. 
The experience of war is described in short bursts, similar to a soldier’s reaction in a firefight.  

The time seems frozen and infinite but in hindsight was in fact fleeting. Life is confusing and death is final. At times Maulsby’s verse scratched off the scabs from old wounds compartmentalized somewhere in my warrior memory. Life is dance, music, rain, flowers, birds on wing.  Death is final and universal. Maulsby takes the reader by the hand and meanders between the two with great skill.  Veterans should read the book. Lovers of free verse poetry shouldn’t miss the opportunity to walk hand-in-hand with the author. 
MWSA Reviewer: Michael D. Mullins

Author's Synopsis
Near Death / Near Life strikes a meaningful and tender balance between the appreciation for life's poignant moments, and the human experience of war, both as a construct and a memory.

Stump!; by Larry Allen Lindsey

MWSA Review
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stump by Larry Allen Lindsey.  Stump is a fascinating account of the World War II experiences of the late Lee Kelley.  An avid swimmer, Lee Kelley joined the fight against the Japanese shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and volunteered to become a Navy frogman.  I was surprised to learn the frogmen in WWII weren't equipped with oxygen tanks.  They were snorkelers whose mission was to swim in close to the shore and with the use of demolitions, destroy any obstacles that the Japanese may have placed underwater to prevent the landing crafts that would be bringing in the marines from reaching shore.  Author Lindsey had the wonderful opportunity to get to know Lee Kelley, and in this book I got the sense I was hearing Kelley's first hand accounts of what happened.  Facing Japanese snipers on shore, sharks in the water, and handling explosives on every mission, the life expectancy of the frogmen wasn't very high.  The story of one of the survivors fascinated me and will fascinate you.  Read this book!
Reviewed by: Bob Doerr (Oct 2015)
 

Author's Synopsis
Motivated by the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, champion swimmer Lee "Stump" Kelley is hell bent on becoming a Marine. Waylaid by a silver-tongued Navy recruiter he becomes a frogman instead. After blowing up under water obstructions all over the Pacific, at Tacloban he loses the first of his best friends in a gruesome explosion. A month later he loses the second in a freak encounter with a giant hammerhead shark at Manila Bay. Moving on to Okinawa with what's left of his frogman team, he suffers serious burns during the largest kamikaze attack of the war. At Guam a three star admiral asks his opinion on a prospective landing site for the invasion of Japan. As always, Stump tells it like it is. "Admiral... trying to march into Tokyo will cost a million American lives. And one of those lives is gonna be mine."

Warriors Remembered -- Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home (Vietnam Veteran Memorials from 50 states); by Albert J Nahas

MWSA Review

Photo-journal that should be in every vet’s library.   

Warriors Remembered: Vietnam Veterans--Welcome Home by Albert J. Nahas is a wonderful pictorial journey to several veterans memorials around America.  Mr. Nahas provides the history of the efforts of those involved in creating monuments to the memory and sacrifice of those who fought for our country, in particular to those who shared the Vietnam experience with him.  He was drawn to include those who fought or served in all our wars, men and women alike.  It is a coffee table book in the truest and best sense of the description. His photography is the next best thing to being at these places in person. 

Like most Vietnam vets, I know much of what went into the creation of The Wall in D.C.  I am aware of local memorials, but I knew nothing of the efforts made by others around the country.  Mr. Nahas enlightened me.  He took me places I can’t go.  He showed me things I won’t see up close.  He made tears well up in my eyes, with appreciation and respect for those who worked so diligently to keep memories alive, who salute those who died or otherwise did not come home.  Albert J. Nahas took me on a magic carpet ride around the country with the art of a photographer and the patience of a teacher.  I can feel his emotion. I feel his effort.  I know how much it cost him to produce this work via his own wallet and at the expense of unending emotional commitment. I thank him for it. 

I recommend this wonderful book to all who support the military and especially all those who served. 
MWSA Reviewer: Michael D. Mullins

Author's Synopsis
WARRIORS REMEMBERED is a 240-page, 11½" x 11½" hard cover coffee-table format photo documentary of Vietnam Veterans Memorials from all 50 states with stories of their significant features, locations and the motivation and struggle faced by those who built them. It highlights 100 memorials and their creators, and shares some of each memorial's subtle details. WARRIORS REMEMBERED is both a travel log and a documentary. It mattered not what politicians argued. It mattered not what history would reveal. We had no expectation but to serve where duty called us. We asked for no reward except a nation's thanks. Warriors Remembered

Eugene Bullard: World's First Black Fighter Pilot; by Larry Greenly

MWSA Review
When Eugene Bullard's father told him there was no racism in France, a very young Eugene became determined to be where all people were treated with respect - France.

In his biography on Eugene Bullard, the World's First Black Fighter Pilot, Larry Greenly paints our hero with tenacity and an unyielding desire to live in a world of equality.  In his quest for France, the young run-away found not all white people were mean, and not all black people were his friend.  He finally found the respect he earned and desired for so long in the fighting ring, on the music scene, and over the field of battle. 

Eugene Bullard led a fantastic life.  Fighting against the Germans in WWI with the French Foreign Legion, Bullard excelled in every endeavor.  But, he came home to find a handful of Americans remained deeply embedded in the racism trench, never to accept him for his accolades over his skin color.

Larry Greenly's biography intrigued, enlightened, and saddened me.  To live and fight for a country during a time of intense war, only to be treated less than human, yet remain true to your dreams of tolerance and love is truly a feat for only the bravest among us.  Eugene's perseverance and drive should encourage us all to seek the good in everyone.  Mr. Greenly reminds us of the true American hero who was Eugene Bullard, the World's First Black Fighter Pilot.  
Reviewed by: Sandra Miller Linhart

Author's Synopsis
Pioneering black aviator Eugene Bullard, descended from slaves, became the world’s first black fighter pilot, though he was barred from serving the United States because of the color of his skin.

Growing up in Georgia, Bullard faced discrimination and the threat of lynching, but he had listened spellbound to his father's stories about how France treated everyone equally. He ran away from home at twelve, worked as a profesional boxer at seventeen, and eventually made his way to France, where he joined the French Foreign Legion and later the Lafayette Flying Corps. He saw fierce combat during World War I and was wounded multiple times.

In World War II, Bullard became a member of the French Underground. After the war, he returned to the United States with a chest full of medals, but once again faced discrimination. Bullard was all but ignored in the United States, even as, at age sixty-four in 1959, he was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. The next year, General Charles de Gaulle personally invited Bullard to a ceremony in New York where he was embraced by the general himself.

Eugene Bullard's is a remarkable story of accomplishment despite racial prejudice. Author Larry Greenly's biography includes numerous historical photographs of Bullard throughout his travels.

Clicking Mics: Lessons Learned from a Law Enforcement Officer; by Bruce Hoff

MWSA Review
The gritty streets of a Florida county

Clicking a microphone, that simple act of keying the transmit button may seem like an innocuous, mechanical process devoid of any particular meaning to most people, but to Bruce Hoffman and to thousands of law enforcement officers across the country, it is anything but. In fact, clicking a mic oftentimes carries a deeper meaning and purpose. It is about expressing raw emotion in a subtle and non-verbal manner. The static click sound made by keying the microphone may mean approval, happiness, anger, sadness…even grief.

Bruce Hoffman captures these emotions and much more in his autobiographical book, aptly named Clicking Mics. Hoffman traces a 27-year career with the Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff’s Department. His was a career that spanned the time he left the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968 to his retirement as a captain. Nestled in between are 175 anecdotes and stories about his life on the gritty streets of a Florida county that included Tampa and St. Petersburg on the Gulf Coast of the state’s peninsula.

The author takes the reader on a historical journey that includes plenty of the expected – drugs, sexual crimes, violence and other seedier elements of society – but also the unexpected. Hoffman gives behind-the-scenes access to the politics and drama of police work, pulling back the veil on what most people assume, but don’t always see, goes on in the life of an officer as he climbs the ranks. Clicking Mics is complete with police procedure elements neatly woven into the stories. Undercover operations, confidential informants, drug buys and busts, and so much more are all inside this compact and well-written autobiography.

There is also plenty of excitement for the crime story junkie in us all. And that is where the book’s title earns its merit. During calls the deputies would signal their reactions by a series of mic clicks. It didn’t matter if the reaction was happiness over a major drug bust gone well, or sadness over an injury or even death, the simple act of clicking the microphone button a few times conveyed it. And everyone hearing the clicks understood its meaning. Police work is known for its fraternity and the bonds that glue one officer to another. Clicking a microphone is one simple example of how that brotherhood communicates feeling and emotion without the need for spoken word.

Get a copy of Hoffman’s book, sit back, and read it for its many purposes. It tells true stories and it entertains at the same time. For someone who has never been in police work, it is revealing and enlightening. For someone who has carried a badge, you will find yourself nodding throughout the book, symbolically clicking a mic along with the author.
Reviewer: Mike Angley
 

Author's Synopsis
In "Clicking Mics," Bruce Hoffman offers a peek behind the door of an extensive law enforcement career with 175 anecdotes of history, lessons learned, and amusing events. After returning home to Florida from the battlefields of Vietnam, Bruce traded his Marine Corps uniform for a badge and gun. Patrolling the streets of Hillsborough County is not the same as serving in a warzone, but there are some similarities-Bruce recounts stories of seeing the best and worst of humanity, describes the struggle of deciding between right and wrong when there are all too many shades of gray, and details the two instances when he experienced friendly fire from fellow cops. In addition to the serious business of police work, Bruce shares some of the amusing shenanigans of his squad and the crazy characters they encounter. In his twenty-seven years of service to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Bruce developed a distinct point of view, one that he imparts with his heartfelt and sometimes humorous stories and lessons learned from living the day-to-day highs and lows of being a law enforcement officer. *"Clicking Mics" is the winner of a Bronze Medal in the 2016 Military Writers Society of America awards memoir category.

Gravity; by Beth Underwood

MWSA Review
“How can a bunch of Tennessee National Guardsmen who never expected, or trained for, deployment survive a year on the battlefields of Iraq? “ That’s the problem facing K Troop of the  278th Armored Cavalry in Beth Underwood’s new book, Gravity.  The year is 2004. Operation Iraqi Freedom is still new, unexpected, and misunderstood by most Americans. The men are teenagers and grandfathers, a coach and his players, a gung-ho recruiter and an oblivious youngster who joined up simply because his friends were doing so. The challenges they face are both unprecedented and uncompromising.

Underwood has not written this story from the perspective of an outside observer. She knows these men from the inside.  She has talked to them and to their families, earning their trust and therefore their honesty. She has been able to get under their skin and into the crevices of their brains. The resulting stories are therefore funny one moment and excruciatingly painful the next. Their emotions are raw and frequently make the reader uncomfortable.

I floundered with the text at first. The time frame seemed disjointed. The military jargon was unusually confusing and sometimes awkward. The landscape was uncharted. Too many events and too many characters left me bewildered. And then I got it. What I was feeling was exactly what these men were feeling as they set out on this unexpected venture. Without warning, Beth Underwood had sent me off to Iraq to learn about this war the same way her characters did –without explanations or guidelines. And learn I did, but not without shedding a few tears of my own.

Why did she call it “Gravity,” I wondered from the beginning. Was there a force holding this group of men together? Certainly. Were they all being pulled toward a center of some sort? Yes, of course. The bravest discovered their fears and the weakest found their strengths. Was the attraction that held them together too strong to be broken, even by death?  It seems so. 
Or is the gravity of another sort? Is the book so titled because of the importance of the subject matter? That, too, I think. The author never spells out her purpose, because there are no easy answers to the questions she raises. You’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. 
Reviewed by Carolyn Schriber

Author's Synopsis
This is the story of a small group of Army National Guardsmen from the Volunteer State of Tennessee - otherwise simple men, who spent a year of their lives in the Triangle of Death, one of Iraq's most hostile areas of operation. But their daily patrols and combat missions weren't featured on the nightly news. Instead, they operated as silent professionals - ordinary men facing extraordinary circumstances, who carried out their jobs to the best of their abilities and prayed they'd stay alive. Continuing the legacy of citizen-soldiers throughout the ages, they stepped forward to protect their families, their neighbors, their countrymen - and their fellow warriors, even in the face of death. Theirs is a story that will live for generations to come.

The Lost Celt; by A. E. Conran

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MWSA Review
In The Lost Celt by A. E. Conran, history, Celtic myth, returning war vets with PTSD, issues of bullying, and family values are all rolled into one great book for middle-grade readers. Conran handles all the themes with compassion and humor, weaving a tale of intrigue, adventure, and danger, which is sure to please her target audience, their parents, and military families everywhere. 

Fourth graders Mikey and Kyler are typical boys and exceptional video gamers, spending hours playing Romanii, a war game between the opposing forces of ancient Romans and Celts. Mikey is in the VA hospital one evening when he glimpses what he believes to be a Celtic warrior. Based on the man’s actions, dress, and appearance, Mikey figures that the man must be a time-traveler, clearly from the same time frame as his video game. As the boys investigate, they rely in part on Mikey’s Vietnam veteran grandfather as well as their knowledge gleaned from their game.

From first to last page, this book pulls you in and pulls you along on a page-turning adventure with twists and turns and roundabouts. Along the way, you can’t help but learn about compassion, understanding, and the importance of family. The topic of PTSD is introduced and explained in a way that middle graders will understand. The same applies to the issue of bullying. If you’re not careful, you might even pick up some history as you read.    
MWSA Reviewer: Betsy Beard
 

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Author's Synopsis

Written in the voice of Mikey, a fourth-grader who believes that eating crunchy things will get your neurons to fire, The Lost Celt follows Mikey's adventures after a chance encounter with what he thinks is a time-traveling Celtic warrior.

With the help of his best friend Kyler, and clues from his military history book, Mikey tracks down the stranger, and in the process learns about the power and obligations of friendship.

Full of heart, The Lost Celt throws a gentle light on some of the issues facing our veterans and their families, but it's the humor and infectious camaraderie throughout this book that makes it so memorable.

Stay the Rising Sun: The True Story of USS Lexington, Her Valiant Crew, and Changing the Course of World War II; by Phil Keith

MWSA Review
Author Phil Keith does a superb job in telling us the story of the USS Lexington, CV-1, while primarily focusing on its brief role in World War II.  Keith's extensive knowledge on all things navy are evident throughout the book. He includes numerous first hand accounts of what transpired during the first five months of the war on the Pacific, and while these accounts come mostly from the American personnel who were there, they also include several from Japanese war records.  His detailed description of the USS Lexington, its personnel, and the operations of its air group make this book a very interesting read.  I highly recommend it to anyone interested in military history, and especially to those with an interest in the war in the Pacific during World War II.
Reviewed,by: Bob Doerr (Sep 2015)
 

Author's Synopsis
Her crew called her the "Lady Lex" - see how her fierce battle turned the tide in the Allies' favor.

In May 1942, the United States' first first naval victory against the Japanese in the Coral Sea was marred by the loss of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. Another carrier was nearly ready for launch when the news arrived, so the navy changed her name to Lexington, confusing the Japanese.

The men of the original "Lady Lex" loved their ship and fought hard to protect her. They were also seeking revenge for the losses sustained at Pearl Harbor. Crippling attacks by the Japanese left her on fire and dead in the water. A remarkable 90 percent of the crew made it off the burning decks before Lexington had to be abandoned. In all the annals of the Second World War, there is hardly a battle story more compelling.

Lexington's legacy did not end with her demise, however. Although the battle was deemed a tactical success for the Japanese, it turned out to be a strategic loss: For the first time in the war, a Japanese invasion force was forced to retreat.

The lessons learned by losing the Lexington at Coral Sea impacted tactics, air wing operations, damage control, and ship construction. Altogether, they forged a critical, positive turning point in the war. The ship that ushered in and gave birth to a new era in naval warfare might be gone, but fate decreed that her important legacy would live on.

The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans; by Barbara Walsh

MWSA Review
Barbara Elizabeth Walsh's wonderfully illustrated book,The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans brings the origin of red poppies used to commemorate fallen soldiers to today's children.

Layne Johnson's beautifully painted illustrations add detail, color, and definition to Barbara Elizabeth Walsh's narrative around a compassionate woman who felt she couldn't do enough to honor veterans. She lived her life always wanting “to do more” for the men and women who gave so much.

The Poppy Lady is an informative read. Johnson's frame-worthy illustrations bring to life a determined woman whose life goal created a symbol in the red poppy still acknowledged and revered.  
Reviewed by: Sandra Miller Linhart

Author's Synopsis
When American soldiers entered World War I, Moina Belle Michael, a schoolteacher from Georgia, knew she had to act. Some of the soldiers were her students and friends. Almost single-handedly, Moina worked to establish the red poppy as the symbol to honor and remember soldiers. And she devoted the rest of her life to making sure the symbol would last forever. Thanks to her hard work, that symbol remains strong today. Author Barbara Elizabeth Walsh and artist Layne Johnson worked with experts, primary documents, and Moina's great-nieces to better understand Moina's determination to honor the war veterans.

A portion of the book's proceeds will support the National Military Family Association's Operation Purple®, which benefits children of the U.S. military.

Brightness From The Shadows; by Jon M. Nelson

MWSA Review
In his book, Brightness from the Shadows, Jon M Nelson has given us complicated, intimate visions of the what being a part of the human race is really all about - that we're truly one with each other; so very much alike even with all of our differences.

This compilation of uplifting and positive poetry questions the limits and labels we place on ourselves and our fellow humans.  It reaches out to explore why we treat others in a way less than loving.
Reviewed by: Sandra Miller Linhart

Author's Synopsis
"We're all unique in our own way, But we're all human at the end of the day. Too many people seem to lose sight, That's why there's always a conflict or fight." This is just one of the many passages in this book that tries to bring home the point that we are all part of the human race. Think of all of the problems that the world faces today, and imagine if someone wrote poems to address these issues and tried to make a difference with them. Brightness from the Shadows is a collection of poetry attempting to do just that. There is something within the pages of Brightness from the Shadows that anyone and everyone can relate to in some way. The goal of this book is to inspire mankind to be something better.

Never Forget (Love in the Fleet); by Heather Ashby

MWSA Review
Heather Ashby has a goal when she writes.  It is a simple one: to entertain.  Her book, Never Forget, Love in the Fleet Book 3, does that and does it well.

This is not a typical book review for me. It is my first romance novel. It was like going to a "chick-flick" with my wife and thoroughly enjoying the experience. Ashby writes for adult readers and does it very well. 

Never Forget is invigorating in many ways and totally entertaining. Ms. Ashby includes adventure, a love for the military, and the supernatural in a wonderful way, crossing genres successfully.  Her book is appealing to a broad audience of readers and I heartily recommend it. 
Reviewer: Mike Mullins
 

Author's Synopsis
With 7.5 tons of World Trade Center steel melted into her bow, what if there are more souls aboard the USS New York than the sailors and Marines stationed there? And what if those souls can help the troops defeat al-Qaeda this time?
 
When Gwyn Pritchard reports aboard the USS New York, she's the only person who sees 9/11 spirits roaming the decks. As the sole survivor of an IED blast, Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Adam Connor is wrestling with his own haunted past, but when he learns Gwyn is seeing ghosts aboard their ship, he becomes her confidant...and her lover.
 
Passions rise to fever pitch when the New York rushes to liberate hostages in North Africa. Can the spirits provide the right intelligence for the Marines to save the prisoners? Can Gwyn help the ghosts move on to the light? And can Adam and Gwyn find the love they've searched the world over for? 
 
Book 3 of the "Love in the Fleet" Series, which includes: FORGET ME NOT, FORGIVE AND FORGET, and NEVER FORGET

Damned Yankee: The Story of a Marriage; by Carolyn Schriber

MWSA Review
The market for fiction related to the American Civil War seems to be growing, but it is rare to encounter a writer who decides to focus almost completely on the “home front” aspect of the war years. This is what Carolyn Schriber has chosen to do in setting her tale in South Carolina, by looking at a family whose patriarch, Jonathan Grenville, is a New England-born teacher who married the daughter of a well-to-do Deep South landowner, and as a result suspected by almost everyone as somehow “disloyal to the cause.” This tension, Schriber underscores, becomes especially trying during the war.  It happens because there were many “causes” in the conflict – love of country, love of state, loyalty to family and friends, individual conscience (for Grenville is quietly ashamed that his wife’s family own slaves). This is just to name a few.  

This book is not an action-oriented tale of battlefield and comradeship. It is instead a thoughtful narrative, driven by dialogue between and among the characters as the war begins and continues in all its challenges and emergencies; these strains that the war placed on the civilians, becomes the heart of this story. What action exists in the book is usually related in letters the family members receive from relatives and friends in the Confederate Army. The Battle of Secessionville, when Union forces attempted to capture Charleston, South Carolina, is described in a letter as a hail of “shot and cannonball,” until the ammunition ran out, at which point the Rebs seize “every loose item to use as a projectile.” In this way the point is made that the South bankrupted its resources in the war.

The pains of the war are told more in discussions of the events like the steady decline of food supplies in the South (the Grenvilles tirelessly tend their vegetable gardens to hold back hunger). The inevitable decline of the South is told quickly in the last pages, which makes a nice metaphor for the painful defeat that no one wanted to face or dwell on.

Damned Yankee is a fine tale of the war from the perspective of the overlooked bystanders who bear no arms but suffer equally from the ravages of the conflict. It is recommended to anyone who enjoys Civil War fiction.
Reviewed by Terry Shoptaugh
 

Author's Synopsis
These are the people you don’t read about in history books.

A Harvard-educated New Englander. He was welcomed as a teacher by a school for apprentices in Charleston, South Carolina. But when his history lessons about the founding of America clashed with the pro-secession rhetoric of local slave-owners, he was out of a job. Can he find a way to reconcile his abolitionist sentiments with the practical need to support his family in a region whose economy is based on slavery? 

A wealthy Southern belle. She has always believed that her ancestors were benevolent slave-owners and that they treated their slaves with dignity and respect. Now she has inherited the family plantations, only to see the institution of slavery come under attack as an unmitigated evil. The coming of the Civil War threatens her land, her children, her marriage, and the values that have always sustained her. How much will she be willing to sacrifice in order to help her family survive?

A female slave. She was given to her mistress when they were both very small because they shared a common grandfather – a fact that everyone knew and no one talked about. The war offers her a promise of freedom as well as the prospect of a bittersweet separation from her beloved cousin. Will the bonds of family stretch or break?

A Confederate soldier. He supported secession and eagerly volunteered for the Army, 
believing, like most young men, that he was invincible. And like too many of those young men, he was wounded and taken prisoner. The aftermath of his war experience left him with wounds far deeper than those that caused the amputation of his leg. Can he conquer the pain, the flashbacks, the disability, and the nightmares that keep him incapacitated and unable to return to his former life?

The newly-weds. The couple married in haste, realizing that the coming of war might mean a long period of separation. But the young wife did not expect to receive a black-bordered letter telling her that her husband had been killed in battle. Now she faces life in wartime as a widow and the mother of newborn twins. She can return to her family or seek to make a a new life for herself. Which way will she turn?

The children. Uprooted from their home and school by a series of family disasters, they face an uncertain future. The teenage boy gives up his dream of becoming a dairy farmer. With tears streaming down his face, he begs his cows to run away because Confederate soldiers are confiscating all cattle as food for the army. His brothers and sisters struggle to adapt to new conditions of poverty, hunger, and hard work. And they watch with fear as those circumstances threaten the stability of their parents’ marriage. Will the family stay together or scatter as their friends and neighbors have done? 

An educated ex-slave. Despite his free status, he realizes that freedom is just a word -- meaningless without respect in the eyes of the community and without the ability to interact on an equal basis with those who once were his owners. Will his freedom really liberate him or will it destroy him?

America’s Civil War was more than a political disaster. It was a human tragedy, and everyone – North and South, young and old, black and white, rich and poor – everyone was caught up in that broken world. Yet somehow the victims held on to the hope that love for one another could mend the tears in the fabric of their lives. These are their stories.

By What is Sure to Follow: A PTSD Odyssey; by Donald N Burton

MWSA Review
 
In By What is Sure to Follow, Donald N. Burton pens a striking and provocative tale of one marine’s journey from carefree college student to highly trained jungle killer to PTSD-suffering vet.  He moves quickly, draws in the reader, and then blindsides him.  

The main character is Luke Simms, a student  who isn’t trying hard enough and loses his full time college deferment, resulting in a draft notice.  Rather than become fodder for the Army, the athletic Simms decides to enlist in the Marine Corps in order to have some say about where he ends up.  Finding a home in the USMC, he excels and earns a spot in their most elite unit, Force Reconnaissance, or Recon.  In the jungles of Vietnam, Luke is transformed into “Eyes,” a highly trained and exceptionally lethal team leader.  But in finding his niche he may have lost himself, and may also lose his mind in the process.

Combat vets from any conflict will probably find a lot in common with “Eyes,” and will likely relate to a lot of what goes on in the book.  The book, at times, is emotionally charged and portrays very well the brotherhood of arms. It is thought-provoking but can be emotionally exhausting at times.
Review by Rob Ballister

Author's Synopsis
Ex-Marine Force Recon Luke Sims is a veteran of two wars: Vietnam and the one inside his head. He's spent the last fourteen years attending self-help group sessions at a local Veterans' Center to help him be normal, to cope with the memories and trauma of his tour of duty. On the outside he seems fine. But looks can deceive and it's not long before Luke goes to war with his incredible skill set against his inner demons and the depth of his pain is at last revealed-with deadly consequences.    

Based on actual in-country events of uncommon valor, unbelievable luck and supreme dedication to brethren, By What Is Sure To Follow: A PTSD Odyssey dramatically follows one veteran's path, chronicling unknown exploits into North Vietnam during the early years of the Vietnam War. With stark realism, it reveals the potentially devastating aftereffects of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) on those who go to war and painfully decries the failure of a nation to protect and heal its warriors when they come home broken.

The Court-Martial of Benedict Arnold; by Richard McMahon

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MWSA Review
The Court-Martial of Benedict Arnold by Richard McMahon is a historical novel that depicts what might have happened if Benedict Arnold had been captured and given the opportunity to explain to a panel of his military peers why he planned to help the British during the Revolutionary War. It includes a military trial where Arnold is allowed to offer explanation and context while being represented by a reluctant fictional attorney. By moving from the trial arena to the outside world, the reader also is given insight into the minds of Arnold’s contemporaries.

Genuine letters and documents are used through the book, and the beginning of the book lists a cast of characters. The epilogue tells us what happened to the people and places in this novel – even to the fictional characters (who are clearly identified in the epilogue).

Lovers of historical fiction and courtroom drama are in for a treat in this well researched and well written novel that examines the era of the American Revolutionary War. What if Benedict Arnold had not escaped and had instead been brought to trial? The courtroom developments bring out the best in Arnold while clearly explaining why he changed sides during the war.

MWSA Reviewer: Nancy Kauffman

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Author's Synopsis

Benedict Arnold was the most notorious traitor in American history. Entrusted with the defense of West Point by George Washington during the Revolutionary War, he attempted to surrender it to the British. The conspiracy, had it succeeded, would probably have been the death knell for the American cause. Fortunately, his treachery was discovered at the last moment. Warned of the plot’s failure, Arnold just barely evaded capture and escaped to British lines.

But what if Arnold had been captured by the Americans and tried by court-martial for treason? What would his defense have been? Would we have learned what prompted this man, a true hero of the war’s early days, to suddenly turn on his country? 

In The Court-Martial of Benedict Arnold, America’s most infamous traitor defends himself before a panel of his peers, claiming that the entire event was an enemy plot to discredit him and thus undermine the American cause. This is also the story of Joshua Thorne, a conflicted officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps, who has been given the task of defending Arnold. Thorne is depressed by the role he is required to play in prosecuting soldiers for offenses caused mainly by the failure of Congress to feed and pay them. He has started to drink heavily, and is beginning to question his loyalty to the quest for America’s independence. His life is further complicated when his defense of Arnold places his love affair with Amelia Martin at risk. Amy, a school mistress and fierce patriot, detests Arnold as a traitor, and is distressed by Thorne’s growing alliance with him.

Currents: Corrales Writing Group 2015 Anthology; by Patricia Walkow,‎ Christina Allen,‎ Maureen Cooke ,‎ Sandi Hoover,‎ Thomas Neiman,‎ James John Tritten

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MWSA Review
In their third anthology, titled Currents, the Corrales Writing Group once again showcases their exceptional and varied talents.  

The book is divided into four sections (humor, fiction, essay, and memoir), and among the twenty-three different stories, anyone will find multiple works that speak to them.  My favorite section was the fiction offering, and I especially enjoyed the gritty “Bête Noire,” one of the best crime stories I have read, short or otherwise.  “The Moist End of the Earth,” was also highly enjoyable and very surprising with its erotic undertones.

This talented group has something for every taste, and fans of variety and short stories/works will definitely enjoy this book.
MWSA Reviewer: Rob Ballister  
 

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Author's Synopsis

Currents is an anthology of work from the Corrales Writing Group for the year 2015. It includes humor, fiction, essays and memoir.

Spy of Richmond; by Jocelyn Green

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MWSA Review
In Spy of Richmond by Jocelyn Green we meet Sophie Kent, daughter of Richmond newspaper magnate (and slaveholder) Preston Kent. Set in the war-torn capital of the Confederacy, this fourth installment of the Heroines behind the Lines series begins in 1863 and follows the Kent family through the fall of Richmond and beyond. 

Sophie, behind her father’s back and clearly against his will, has been writing articles for her father’s newspaper using a man’s nom de plume. Because she was schooled in Philadelphia, her sympathies are clearly with freeing America from the scourge of slavery, while her loyalties are tied to family, friends, community, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

The book is written mostly from Sophie’s point of view and details her struggle to reconcile what she feels is right regarding an end to slavery with her loyalty to the South.
She begins her efforts by visiting Libby Prison in Richmond and attempting to aid and feed Yankee soldiers held within its horrific confines. She volunteers in the hospital treating Union soldiers, justifying it under the guise of hoping that somewhere in the North similar women are tending Confederate soldiers in prisons there. Her efforts broaden until she is helping prisoners escape, aiding slaves in their bid for freedom, and feeding information about Confederate troop movements to Northern spies. 

Some of the characters in Spy of Richmond first appeared in earlier books in the series, so it would be helpful to read the books in order for greater clarity.
MWSA Reviewer: Betsy Beard

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Author's Synopsis
Trust none. Risk all.

Richmond, Virginia, 1863. Compelled to atone for the sins of her slaveholding father, Union loyalist Sophie Kent risks everything to help end the war from within the Confederate capital and abolish slavery forever. But she can't do it alone. 

Former slave Bella Jamison sacrifices her freedom to come to Richmond, where her Union soldier husband is imprisoned, and her twin sister still lives in bondage in Sophie's home. Though it may cost them their lives, they work with Sophie to betray Rebel authorities. Harrison Caldwell, a Northern freelance journalist who escorts Bella to Richmond, infiltrates the War Department as a clerk-but is conscripted to defend the city's fortifications. 

As Sophie's spy network grows, she walks a tightrope of deception, using her father's position as newspaper editor and a suitor's position in the ordnance bureau for the advantage of the Union. One misstep could land her in prison, or worse. Suspicion hounds her until she barely even trusts herself. When her espionage endangers the people she loves, she makes a life-and-death gamble. 

Will she follow her convictions even though it costs her everything-and everyone-she holds dear?

Vietnam Nurse: Mending & Remembering; by Lou Eisenbrandt

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MWSA Review
A young woman trains as a nurse and goes to Nam to find her personal and professional way!

To satisfy wanderlust, Eisenbrandt chooses a nursing vocation to finish high school and the Army to “see the world” and develop her skills.  Not the norm for a young woman to go to the war zone, this VIETNAM NURSE shares her field hospital lifestyle that year in 1970.  The author narrative describes the routines and incoming patients, recreation on the China Sea, and the limited social outlets and available relationships.  

After her tour, Lou Eisenbrandt reflects on four return trips to Vietnam after the war ended and as she aged, with her varying feelings and impressions.  Not the normal war story, this book relates to the impact of war on a young woman and her ongoing relative success to travel and mend as much as anyone may with a scarred war background.     
MWSA Reviewer: Hodge Wood
 

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Author's Synopsis

Combining narrative and poetry, photos and documents, Lou Eisenbrandt's Vietnam Nurse tells the compelling story of how a Midwestern woman, born with a little wanderlust and a lot of courage, found herself serving as a nurse in Vietnam during some of the most dangerous and damaging stretches of the war in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During her service, Eisenbrandt encounters life-changing stories, most notably her own, as she writes in one of her poems, that spark "Songs of love and loss, of sweat drenched nights and blood smeared days." Since the war and through her many return journeys to Vietnam, Eisenbrandt shows us her deepening commitment to service, widening search for truth, and enduring creation of a life that matters.

—Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg 2009-13 Kansas Poet Laureate

Shrapnel Wounds; by Tom Crowley

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MWSA Review
Shrapnel Wounds, An Infantry Lieutenant’s Vietnam War Memoir is a well-crafted raw look at the combat experience of one soldier, which also represents the experiences of countless others. Tom Crowley’s unabashed account of his time in the military and the lifelong impact it had on him is a must read for anyone who seeks to understand the reality of combat. 

Crowley skillfully captures the struggles, heroism, fear, and loss experienced by combat soldiers of all eras. From mundane days, to tragic, senseless deaths, to equally tragic but extraordinarily heroic sacrifices, Crowley takes the reader with him. He brings the reader to boot camp and to the jungles, in a manner that is felt as opposed to just read. He shines a spotlight on the lethal consequences of arbitrary decisions and backwards bureaucracy while demonstrating the courage of the unsung heroes of war. 

This book will resonate with combat veterans, provide insight to their families, and educate the ignorant on the true cost of freedom.

Welcome Home.

MWSA Reviewer: Barbara Allen

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Author's Synopsis

Shrapnel Wounds is the combat memoir of Lieutenant Tom Crowley, an enthusiastic and highly trained U.S. Army enlistee and Officer Candidate School grad who enters combat in Vietnam in mid-1966. Highly regarded by his infantry platoon and strongly encouraged by his superiors to become a professional soldier, Crowley almost inadvertently examines the system by which career officers are shepherded through to higher and higher rank—and increasingly rejects that system over the course of his one-year combat tour.

Before the Belle; Cassius Mullen

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MWSA Review
A great read and a long-overdue recognition of a record-breaking B-24 crew during World War II.

Have you heard of the Memphis Belle? Have you seen the movie—or the 1944 documentary—of the same name? How about 12 O'Clock High? When we think of World War II bombers, why is it that the B-17 seems to be the first airplane to come to mind? You might find an answer in an article written for the January 2016 edition of the Aviation History magazine, which quotes a B-24 engineer-gunner: "The B-24 was the bomber that was mostly ignored when the history books were written." Thanks to authors Cassius Mullen and Betty Byron, and their thoroughly enjoyable book, Before the Belle, you'll have a much better appreciation for the Liberator's capabilities and its role during the war.

As a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, I was familiar with the story of the Memphis Belle. I also thought that I had a pretty good handle on daylight precision bombing—carried out primarily by the U.S. Army Air Corps—during the Second World War. Although I was familiar with the B-24 Liberator, this book made it clear that there was a great deal I didn't know about its capabilities and contributions to the war effort.

In addition to being a great read, Before the Belle also makes an important contribution by correcting the historical record—which gave the crew of the Memphis Belle credit for being the first to accomplish twenty-five combat missions in the European theater of operations. The authors correctly point out that rather than the Memphis Belle, it was the crew of a B-24 Liberator nicknamed Hot Stuff, who were the first to reach that important milestone.

After a short introduction, we follow the Hot Stuff's crew as they complete their initial training in the airplane, get their first taste of combat during anti-submarine patrols off the coast of Florida, deploy to Europe, and fly and fight their way through each of their thirty-one combat missions from October 1942 through March 1943. The descriptions of aerial combat occur in short, but action-packed, chapters covering each mission.

The authors personalize the history by creating conversations between the various crew members and other military personnel and civilians they meet. The dialog is found throughout the book and allows readers to feel like they're flying along with the crew in their B-24… or exploring London and Cairo with the Hot Stuff crewmembers during a 24-hour pass.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this unsung hero of an airplane and the brave crewmembers who flew it.
MWSA Reviewer: John Cathcart

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Author's Synopsis

On May 3, 1943, a lone American B-24 on a secret mission from Bovington airdrome in England neared the Icelandic coast bound for the United States. Captain Robert “Shine” Shannon was at the controls. He and his nine man crew of Hot Stuff had been honored two weeks earlier as being the first heavy bomber in the Eighth Air Force to complete 25 combat missions. That number was a benchmark established by the Army Air Force for bomber crews to be rotated back to the United States where the plane and its crew would tour the country to promote the war effort.

By the time Hot Stuff and its crew received word they were to rotate back to the States, they had endured not just 25 but 31 combat missions. A combat mission was defined as anytime an American aircraft came under hostile fire over enemy territory.
Hot Stuff was honored to be chosen by Lt. General Frank Andrews, commander of all American Forces in the European Theater of Operations, to fly him and his staff to Washington, D.C. After arriving in Washington he was to receive his fourth star and assume command of all Allied Forces in the European Theater of Operations. However, the accomplishments of Hot Stuff and its crew along with those of Andrews went unheralded in the annals of World War II.