Chanticleer Book Reviews

Category: Reviews

MADDIE Q by Allan Havis – Political Fiction, Contemporary Social Issues, Psychological Literary Fiction

Maddie Q by Allan Havis illustrates one woman’s transformative journey through a web of dangerous beliefs.

The personality of conservative Maddie Crawford takes center stage as she finds an epiphany in the stormy aftermath of the January 6th Capitol riot. Existing beliefs collide, casting her into a churning sea of contradictory feelings. The author entwines her internal struggle of belief and identity with the contentious QAnon theory. Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 Pandemic, this fusion gives rise to a storyline that harmoniously links personal introspection with societal upheaval.

The backdrop of the “Stop the Steal” march and the chaotic events of January 6th propel Maddie into disillusionment. Conspiracy theories and extremist beliefs entice her away from reality, radicalizing her. Maddie becomes convinced that only drastic measures can confront what she perceives as a corrupt establishment, exemplified by her attempt to kidnap a school trustee in the name of her skewed sense of justice.

Pushed to the brink of despair, she wrestles with the solitude that her beliefs brought her and even contemplates ending her own life. The question lingers as Maddie navigates her never-ending search for meaning: will she be able to conquer the engulfing darkness of past demons and find the way to illumination?

Havis investigates the complex interplay between personal challenges and the search for larger significance.

Many of the characters must form undying resilience. Hortense, Maddie’s aunt, faces challenges that go beyond her physical ailments. She dreams vividly of existential concerns and mortality, proving her desire for enlightenment and life beyond the material world. Parallel to these two women’s struggles is Maddie’s sister Heather, a transgender woman who contributes to the story’s exploration of gender dynamics. The author aims to highlight the underlying thread that connects these characters – their defiance, reflection, and search for meaning.

Maddie Q shifts between different moments in time and points of view, enabling readers to grasp the internal and external battles that lead to each character’s beliefs.

This story delves into the complexity of political extremism and the individuals who are caught in its wake. Family dynamics, especially between Maddie and her aunt Hortense, underscore the intergenerational sharing and changing of values. Exploration into politics and conspiracy theories highlights the sheer power of extremist beliefs to control individual thought, paired with the tremendous reach of such views in the digital era. Readers are encouraged to challenge their perspectives and to look for common ground in the rich tapestry of varied ideologies.

Maddie Q navigates a plethora of beliefs and their immutable impacts on the psyche, emphasizing the human desire for understanding even under the heaviest convictions.

September 6, 2023
MERGING PATHS by Vince Bailey – Paranormal, Horror, Suspense

Having escaped unjust imprisonment at the Fort Grant facility for juveniles, Curtis Jefferson is on the run, in Merging Paths, the third installment of Vince Bailey’s gripping, paranormal, Curtis Jefferson Series.

With only a small jug of water and the clothes on his back, Curtis has to cross the Sonoran Desert and find a way back to his mother and grandmother in Jacobs Well. But his trip is plagued by more than thirst, hunger, and fear of animals. A racist sheriff’s deputy, Myron Aycock, is hellbent on finding Curtis not only for the acclaim such an arrest will give him but also for vengeance against the beating he received at the hands of the aspiring boxer.

Trapped and desperate, Curtis is rescued by a mysterious figure and taken to Isabel and Ray Cienfuegos. After hearing Curtis’s unsettling stories about Fort Grant, the two understand that they have all been fighting the same evil forces – under the control of the sadistic Ezra. In a final confrontation, Isabel faces off against the wicked spirit, but just as they believe their problems are over, a new threat arises under the guise of friendship, and Isabel makes a life-changing decision that will mark her forever.

Intuition plays a huge role throughout the series, becoming vital to the central characters in this final book.

Throughout his harrowing experiences at Fort Grant, Curtis has relied upon his innate sixth sense to warn him of impending doom. A gift passed from his mother, this awareness has guided him to carefully choose his friends. Through this sense, he trusts Isabel and Ray, even seeming to know parts of their story before they tell it. He accepts Isabel’s questionable actions because his instincts tell him they were her only choice.

Isabel shares this remarkable perception. In fact, Isabel trusts her intuition so far as to commit acts most would consider insane. While Curtis’s near-clairvoyance is a guide, Isabel’s is a force. This sense helps Isabel to understand the evil of Ezra and tells her how to rid herself of him forever. But her intuition pushes her to one final act of destruction as well – the murder of a former confidante – a choice that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

Isabel and Curtis aren’t the only characters with an advanced awareness of evil. Father Frank Cullen, a priest to whom Isabel goes for confession, shares the gift. He has always doubted Curtis’s guilt, and when his not-so-chance meeting with Isabel brings him back into Curtis’s life, he uses his sense to help bring Curtis home.

But he could never have accomplished the deed without the intervention of Natchez Mendoza, a former judge and the son of the man Ezra was in life.

Natchez is, perhaps, the most “knowing” of the quartet. Natchez first appeared in book one, where he recognized the evil in twelve-year-old Harvey Huish. He also first met Curtis in book one, under extremely unusual circumstances, so when they meet again some eighty years later, Natchez knows Curtis’s story intimately and helps to release him from Fort Grant’s grasp.

Justice becomes central to the final struggles of these characters.

Will Farnsworth is a silent, but important example of this need for justice. Having died via decapitation in a car wreck during book one, Will has served as a knight errant since, responsible for the rescue of both Ray and Curtis. As a lawyer for the corrupt Huish family, he hated his job and his clients and longed to be free of both, but it was only in death that he could become the very thing he tried to be in life, the good guy riding in to save the day.

However, Isabel’s pursuit of justice is more complicated.

Her quest to rid the world of Ezra’s evil is commendable and noble, but her later conflict with Freddie Hightower approaches the slippery slope of vengeance. Freddie’s betrayal angers Isabel to the point of no return. She deems him unforgivable and takes matters into her own hands, perverting justice. Other characters like Sergeant Joe Garcia, Constable Frankie Quintana, Deputy Myron Aycock, and Sheriff Pete Alvarado represent the legal side of justice, both good and bad. Natchez Mendoza, white cane and all, straddles the line between legal and supernatural, determined to keep Curtis safe for his own contribution to justice for his massacred tribe.

The Curtis Jefferson Series won Grand Prize in the 2022 CIBA Series Awards for Fiction Series.

August 23, 2023
COURSES Of The CURSED: A Curtis Jefferson Novel by Vince Bailey – Paranormal, Dark Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Imprisoned in a boys’ institution for a crime he did not commit, Curtis Jefferson must again face his nemesis, Harvey Huish. In Courses of the Cursed, the second installment of Vince Bailey’s paranormal Curtis Jefferson series, the fight comes with much higher stakes.

Estranged from his constant companion, Randy, Curtis continues his training alone, bewildered as to why Randy believes Harvey to be more than a vicious bully. But as Curtis’s strange visions and dreams increase, he needs Randy more than ever. He begins to question whether Randy has been preparing him for an encounter beyond the violence between boys.

Unbeknownst to Curtis, he isn’t the only one being tortured by the evil of Fort Grant. A local artist, Ray Cienfuegos, has his own date with destiny. As the last male descendant of his family, Ray’s fate is tied to the massacre that occurred near the fort almost one hundred years ago.

Two young men, one a savior and one a sacrifice, will be tested by the wicked power of the sacred land. But who will survive the encounter?

This complex work twists its way through a maze of interconnected storylines and characters who each, in their own way, embody the age-old battle between good and evil.

Ezra, an old Apache shaman, embodies something horrible and ancient. Whether he is Satan or some malicious pagan entity, he facilitates the cruelty done to the characters in the novel. However, upon closer examination, Ezra’s “evil” becomes much more complicated. While he tortures Ray and sometimes takes the form of an enormous would-be rapist were-coyote, he is also the voice of a long-dead, long-forgotten people, innocents slaughtered in a sick game of commerce.

Ezra does unforgivable harm, but he does so in the name of justice, begging the question of whether justice can be achieved through bloody vengeance.

The idea of justice defines many characters, including Lieutenant Roy, the cavalry commander who refused to serve out the original retribution for which Ezra fights. In opposition to Ezra’s malignancy stands Isabel Cienfuegos, Ray’s aunt. She serves as foil to all that Ezra represents and becomes an avenging angel, toting a 12-gauge instead of a fiery sword.

Numerous other characters strive to do good in the world around them.

Vince, the narrator, admits that his faith is the very reason he must tell the story. Leon and Georgy, fellow inmates of Curtis, drag him to church to pray for guidance and courage for what lay ahead, leading the reader to question if Curtis’s actions are divine justice, or if he is merely a pawn in Ezra’s plan.

The symbology of fire frames this story.

If Ezra is – or is in league with – the devil, the use of fire is a pointed reference to the retribution forced upon those who have done wrong in life. However, when Ray receives his blood money from Ezra, Isabel throws it into a fire to rid them of the thing that led to Ray’s abduction and torture. The fort’s original inhabitants were complacent in the massacre of the tribe, so when it partially burns down, the flames cleanse part of that history. Ray uses fire as a healer, to help him rehabilitate after his disfigurement at Ezra’s hands.

But fire takes its most questionable form when a beloved character, a “knight” in search of justice, is set ablaze by Ezra. Fire here is only a punishment, wrought on someone who has done nothing to deserve it. The role of fire, just like that of good and evil, is a complicated one with a multitude of interpretations.

Courses of the Cursed asks what sort of justice can come from vengeance, and what really will bring peace to the past. A thrilling paranormal adventure that we highly recommend!

The Curtis Jefferson Series won Grand Prize in the 2022 CIBA Series Awards for Fiction Series.

August 21, 2023
AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN SUFFRAGISTS: Virginia and Francis Minor by Nicole Evelina – Biographies, Women’s Suffrage, Political History

Comprehensive in its own right, America’s Forgotten Suffragists by Nicole Evelina is an essential addition to the canon of women’s suffrage and first-wave feminism.

Equal parts local history of women’s right to vote in the nineteenth century and biography of Virginia and Francis Minor, America’s Forgotten Suffragists illuminates the story of a wife-and-husband feminist duo who were the first to fight for women’s suffrage at the Supreme Court level.

We learn about the lives of Virginia and Francis Minor by way of historical records, intersecting timelines with other suffragists, and news articles and letters. Virginia Minor was raised on the new and intellectually stimulating University of Virginia campus, where her father worked. Born into a colonial settler and slave-owning family, Virginia came into her own as she grew older, forming abolitionist and feminist beliefs.

In 1869, Virginia realizes that, through implication, the Constitution could grant women the right to vote by way of the Fourteenth Amendment, which acknowledged the freedom, citizenship, and human rights of Black men freed from enslavement. She shares her thoughts with Francis — a practicing lawyer and constant ally for women’s financial independence. And when Virginia is denied from registering to vote in 1872, she sues and goes to court with Francis as her attorney, to introduce her interpretation of the law.

As history reveals, the Minors lost their case. However, they ignited conversations about women’s suffrage nationwide, pushing others to take up the charge.

Virginia became good friends with Susan B. Anthony, collaborating on suffrage campaigns in the Midwest, and giving speeches in territories that were becoming states. Francis Minor continued his advocacy for the feminist cause by publishing his writing on women’s rights. To preserve their words, biographer Evelina includes many of the Minor’s speeches and articles, as well as Virginia and Francis’s petition in full calling for the Supreme Court to acknowledge women’s right to vote based on the Fourteenth Amendment.

What truly shines about this book — along with its gentle prose and historical scene-setting — is what it teaches about the origins of first-wave feminism and why the American voting system continues to disenfranchise Black citizens.

Nicole Evelina takes great care to analyze Virginia’s 1875 Supreme Court case, Minor v. Happersett, from all angles.

Minor v. Happersett has been (mis)used over seven times since the trial to reinforce voter suppression tactics. Evelina demonstrates through this extensive biography of Virginia and Francis Minor that the issues we face today — election tampering, gerrymandering, expunged registration records, and restrictions on accessible voting methods for the working class — can, in part, be traced back to this case.

This biography documents one woman’s bold path to securing women’s rights, a beacon of hope for a world where no person is lesser than another.

America’s Forgotten Suffragists: Virginia and Francis Minor won Grand Prize in the 2021 CIBA Nellie Bly Awards for Longform Journalism Non-fiction.

August 18, 2023
THE RELUCTANT VISIONARY by Datta Groover – Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Multi-Generational Fiction

Visions of the future swirl, unclear and contradictory, giving dire warnings of lives soon to be cut short, in Datta Groover’s The Reluctant Visionary.

Three women, Anna Mae, Kat, and Jess each confess to being the visionary of her era. They never asked for the ability to glimpse danger ahead, to have the opportunity to save others from a terrifying destiny. It’s a heavy burden when people refuse to believe them, and the dangerous consequences of their visions lay in wait. The best of intentions lead the ladies further into a dire struggle. Can they survive all that life throws their way, and learn how to reshape the future? Or will they lose their way in the blur of chilling prophecy?

Jess is in her mid-twenties, a resident of a rural town in contemporary Texas. She works hard with her family to hold on to the ranch that’s been with them for generations.

No matter what they try, they continue to experience misfortune and lose more money. As they slip further and further into debt, they wonder what is the root of all their bad luck. Jess juggles this financial struggle with her visions of the future, just like her mother, Kat, did. Visions of violent and heart-wrenching crimes haunt Jess and drive her to act defiantly and protect the innocent victims.

As she delves into a criminal mystery, she has no idea the danger she’ll face along with her family, and the secrets she’ll uncover in her mission to change the future. She partners with the lone law enforcement officer who believes in her and her visions, but can she resist his charms?

In the 1960s, an entrancing story set in rural Tennessee plays out parallel to Jess’.

Anna Mae has just turned eighteen and lives at home with her abusive parents. Her visions of the future are met with anger and fear from the people she’s trying to help, and someone even reports her to the police when her attempt to save a child in danger is deliberately misinterpreted. Anna Mae seeks a tranquil and happy life but her disturbing visions make that wish impossible.

She finds herself in the middle of an investigation when the police accuse and arrest the wrong person for a crime. She’s determined to save him. In the midst of the chaos, Anna Mae falls in love with the wrong man and is faced with a drastic, life-altering decision. Will she find a wise path forward in her visions?

Author Datta Groover tells a story of three generations of strong female protagonists.

These women show how a determination to light a hopeful way forward ignites courage despite threats of desperation and peril. Their contrasting struggles, inherent to different decades and settings, leap off the page, relatable and emotionally vivid. And just as in real life, the ending of the story is filled with unexpected surprises, even for these visionaries.

Available for Pre-Order Now! Comes out 9/6/23!

August 18, 2023
THE GREEN REAL DEAL by Bill Herrington – Climate & Energy, Political Influence, Energy Systems

In the face of environmental activism’s raging tides and the ruthless blitz of external propaganda, The Green Real Deal by Bill Herrington highlights the need for a long-term comprehensive energy policy.

Many nations drive for sustainable energy, and scramble to preserve their environments. As Germany stands against Sweden’s embrace of nuclear power, it grapples with the reliance on Russian natural gases. Meanwhile, internal strife and external interference strives to sway the energy policy of the United States. The Green Real Deal proposes a clandestine mission of nuclear diplomacy. This book is a call to transcend rhetoric before it engulfs the nation.

The author’s argument is meticulously composed of three important sections.

An interaction with a protest against fossil fuels serves as an epiphany for Herrington. He reflects on his own perceptions, leading him to reevaluate. Section one focuses on the past, examining the historical relevance of pipelines and nuclear energy in America. It emphasizes the issues and complications surrounding these resources. This provides readers a strong foundation to understand the energy landscape, laying the groundwork for further research.

Section two goes into the complex world of environmental activism, unraveling the web of motivations, disruptive techniques, and potential acts of terrorism.

Herrington examines the details surrounding the Dakota Access Pipeline demonstrations, including underlying discontent of American Indian tribes regarding land rights. The chapters in this book theorize on possible connections to foreign players, unreported dark money in environmental groups, and the impact of US energy policy. They conclude by emphasizing the importance of oil, gas, and pipelines in protecting Western democracy, advising against moves that could cause the US to lose competitiveness.

Alarm bells are rung against policies that could play into Russia’s favor. As this section reveals Russian tactics of propaganda and psychological warfare, it advocates balancing environmental concerns with the political usefulness of fossil fuels.

The last section offers an “autopsy” of the ambitious Green “New” Deal, presenting a comprehensive narrative of the GND’s origin, rollout, and future developments.

This section emphasized the importance of diversifying beyond renewable energy. It encapsulates the author’s thesis about a balanced plan for the future of energy infrastructure. Pointing to the use of liquefied natural gas, and the promise of nuclear energy, Herrington advises against over-reliance on a single resource. He provides real-world examples to support his claim, such as Sweden’s effective usage of various energy strategies.

The Green Real Deal mixes energy & environmental study with political observation.

This book presents historical events through articles, government documents, photographs, and descriptive language, in order to paint a vivid picture of protests and other important moments.

It should be noted, however, that there is no solid evidence for the claimed links between environmental groups and dark money, nor the undeclared influence this would have on political outcomes. Due to this lack of concrete evidence, the alleged activity of Russia must be viewed with skepticism.

Herrington documents the evidence of Russian social media propaganda targeting American energy, specifically pipelines and hydraulic fracturing, and builds a case for the connection between environmental groups and dark money, but he does not provide concrete evidence of cash exchanged. These points prompt the reader to continue their own investigation of energy systems. The Green Real Deal is a passionate wake-up call, advocating for a balanced approach to a sustainable future – a harmonious coexistence of energy, environment, and society.

August 16, 2023
THE COLLEGE GUIDEBOOK: Biological and Biomedical Engineering by Rachel A. Winston, PhD – Education, Guidebook, Inspirational

The College Guidebook: Biological & Biomedical Engineering by Rachel A. Winston, Ph.D., is a unique and useful college admissions guidebook with invaluable information on internships, testing, interviews, and scholarships, along with research and profiles of 56 universities that offer programs in biological and biomedical engineering.

Dr. Winston wrote this book to give her engineering students, and aspiring biomedical engineers like them, the tools to pursue their interests. This work will give curious students insight and inspiration to achieve their goals, such as various methods by which to present their abilities and talents to admissions committees. The author, an educator for nearly forty years, has been a chemist, research scientist, mathematician, college professor, and more, and has the know-how and expertise to guide students through the labyrinth of academia. All the while, Winston peppers the work with inspirational quotations, such as “Scientists dream about doing great things. Engineers do them.” —James A. Michener

Young people must ask themselves what they want to do with their life, and a handy reference book like this one is a rare, valuable boon in helping help them find the answers.

The College Guidebook provides a remarkably comprehensive view of its chosen fields: a broad explanation of biomedical engineering and its past, present, and future; the expectations and training for the field (such as high-tech healthcare, nanotechnology, informatics, prosthetics, and mimetics); how to prepare academically; the summer programs and internships for high school and undergraduate students; university options and which programs are best suited for those interested; college admissions, tests, essays, resumé, and recommendations; how to pay for the education; the employment outlook; a list of the accredited biological, biomedical, and chemical engineering programs; the top programs in adjacent engineering fields; and more. This guidebook offers everything those students may find useful.

This book offers encouragement to those students with questions, and comfort to those who have concerns about which schools offer the subjects they need and with which companies they can find employment post-graduation.

“The future is yours. Choose a path that makes sense for your life goal. The information contained in this book will lead you on your way and, hopefully, inspire you as a leader who empowers others along their educational pathway,” Winston reminds the reader.

Dr. Rachel Winston’s deep understanding of biological and biomedical engineering allows her to guide prospective students through all the possibilities in these fields.

August 11, 2023
AMBITION, ARROGANCE And PRIDE: Families & Rivals in 18th Century Salem by Sandra Wagner-Wright – Audio Book, Revolutionary War, Biographical Historical Fiction, Family Saga

Sandra Wagner-Wright’s historical fiction novel, Ambition, Arrogance and Pride tells the story of two powerful families during the founding of America – now brought to life in audio format by award-winning voice actor Christa Lewis.

Wagner-Wright’s fluid prose lends itself to being read aloud, and listeners will be wholly transported by this tale of early Americana. Life in the Salem/Boston area at the birth of our nation takes wings as Lewis breathes energy into this engaging cast of characters.

Ambition, Arrogance and Pride explores a few select families as they merge through marriage to form privateering empires. The focus on the women’s point of view gives us a unique perspective on the lives of the powerful men in these families. From the inception of their dreams and aspirations, we follow their journeys in a time without electricity, running water, or antibiotics, a life rustic yet gentle.

The excellent choice of narrator for this project accentuates the limited role of women in this time and place – as partners to their husbands.

Wagner-Wright imagines a world where these partnerships are egalitarian, with these women having a say in all aspects of life, from buying real estate to running and investing in business ventures.

The daily lives of women running households, giving birth, and preparing for funerals bring us back to a time when infant and childbirth mortality were high and tuberculosis ran rampant, with no effective treatment. We grow to care for the central characters and must grieve with them in the face of these losses.

We explore the United States’ independence story through the eyes of Mary, whose personal ties to the conflict illuminate many of its causes and details. She’s terrified for her family, especially her husband, as the colonies and the sovereign crown of England clash over high taxes and unfair tariffs. After the Boston Tea Party, Mary switches her drink from sweet tea to bitter coffee.

Wagner-Wright and Lewis pair up to give a rendition of Ambition, Arrogance and Pride that gives us a place within the drawing rooms of the Derby and the Crowninshield families.

We face the fears and hardships of their seagoing lives, and learn how uncertain and dangerous the future of the American colonies was.

This historical and somewhat biographical novel based on early American roots provides a glimpse into the lives of people who dared to fall in love, venture into uncharted waters, and create dynasties. We meet merchants who develop trade routes halfway around the world and gamble their life savings on trade with China, India, and beyond.

This audio version of Ambition, Arrogance and Pride shines as the well-crafted story unfolds through a reading that deeply understands it. Fans of historical fiction, Americana, and Revolutionary narratives alike will be gripped with interest throughout this book. A must-have for Wagner-Wright fans and readers who want a great listen on long walks, commutes, or road trips.

You can read the review of the print version of Ambition, Arrogance and Pride here.

August 9, 2023
COLD PEACE: A Novel of the Berlin Airlift, Part 1 by Helena P. Schrader – Historical Fiction, Post-WWII, Military Aviation Fiction

Amidst the ruins of Post-WWII, Berlin struggles to rebuild from the ashes, torn apart and facing down the promise of another bloody dictator. A myriad cast, all shaped by that same war, become entwined with the broken city as its hour of need approaches.

Just as Germany is divided between the Americans, British, French, and Soviets, Berlin has been cut into pieces. But the balance of the occupation powers tips eastward as the Soviet Zone surrounds the city, giving them control of all ways into and out of Berlin – save for the air. The occupation currency is worthless thanks to Soviet over-printing, leaving Berlin on a barter system of cigarettes and black-market trading. In order for Germany to recover, the Western Allies plan to introduce a new currency, even if it angers the Soviet bear.

To fight over the city with tanks and planes would mean a third world war and a battle for Berlin that the overwhelming Soviet military force would win without question. This fight must be one of resources and diplomacy. But the Soviets have little interest in rebuilding Germany, preferring to loot from, starve, and rape the defeated Berliners as their means of taking ‘reparations.’

Amidst gridlock in the Allied Control Council and a populace that largely refuses to elect Soviet sympathizers, SMAD (Soviet Military Administration in Germany) tries to push the Western powers out through intimidation and ever-harsher strangling of transit along the streets and railways.

Berliners and occupation forces alike try to build their own future, while bearing the weight of the city’s future.

Robert “Robin” Priestman takes a position as Wing Commander in Gatow, a former Luftwaffe airfield now used by the RAF – located in the British Sector of Berlin – that is, deep inside the Soviet Zone of Occupation, which surrounds Berlin. Memories of his time as a POW haunt him, and he doesn’t understand what the purpose of RAF Gatow even is. However, when a Soviet pilot crashes into a British civilian plane, and as SMAD makes greater plays for unilateral power over Berlin, Robin prepares to use his planes and runway to keep Western opposition alive, for the sake of the Berliners.

David Goldman’s disapproving father weighs him down with a massive inheritance, forcing him out of the RAF and into a business of his own. But heavier on his shoulders are the old properties owned by his aunt and uncle in Germany – before they were murdered by the Nazi regime. David faces a former Nazi officer in the home that holds so many of his childhood memories and resolves to bring the man to justice.

Charles “Kiwi” Murray, David’s closest living friend, helps him to build an air ambulance business, AAI (Air Ambulance International). Berlin needs such a service desperately, its hospitals hopelessly overwhelmed, and Robin gladly offers them use of Gatow’s runway. Kiwi’s struggle with alcoholism nearly tears this dream – and his friendship with David – apart. But he won’t lay down and let that happen, pushing himself to get their ambulance off the ground, even as David’s own struggles wear him thin.

Emily Priestman hopes to reconnect with Robin in Gatow as she helps him with his duties. But she’s even less versed in the diplomacy of the rich and powerful than he is, and knows that she needs to find another purpose, for her own sake as much as that of the ruined city around her. That opportunity presents itself through old friends and new, as she joins AAI to fly their ambulance, saving those who had no chance of survival in Berlin.

Fear and despair hound the people left in WWII’s wake, kept at bay by the hope for a better life tomorrow.

Charlotte Walmsdorf lost much of her family, and lives in Berlin’s desperation, refusing to even try crossing the Soviet Zone. But her cousin Christian arrives, and though his hope seems naïve to her, she feels a flicker of her own as she teaches Emily Priestman German, joins AAI, and finds herself drawn to David.

WAAF Galyna Borisenko, whose father was taken from her by the Soviet Union, makes an unlikely connection with Hero of the Soviet Union, Mila Levchenkova. Both Ukrainian women take the considerable risk of meeting with each other, for the chance to speak honestly with someone who understands the pain of life beneath the USSR. Mila’s strength and courage inspire Galyna, as they form a deep and emotionally impactful friendship.

The City Council of Berlin refuses to back down to the minority Soviet-controlled Socialist Unity Party (SED). Jakob Liebherr, an ardent councilman, holds firm against Soviet misinformation, arguments with his son, and his own terror. He suffered in a concentration camp for his resistance to Nazi power and knows of the tens of thousands kidnapped by the Soviet Union, doomed to a similar fate. His commitment to democracy contrasts the grim state of Berlin with a gripping sense of integrity and determination.

As Soviet control tightens, each character will have to act with courage and clarity to withstand their grip.

Helena P. Schrader blends her character’s internal struggles and desires with the traumas of Berlin, creating a powerful and cohesive read.

WWII left its mark on each of these people, through the ghosts of dead loved ones, injuries that will never leave them, and responsibilities greater than they ever imagined. Some, like Robin and Emily, reckon with the destruction of Berlin as its former enemies. Blackened shells remain where once there were homes, entire stories are missing from those buildings that still stand.

And yet, restaurants open with only one floor, people make dinner in their kitchens and keep warm beside the stove. Neighbors lend clothes to one another, and even black-market smugglers can be convinced to give away that which they can’t use. Just as Berlin must make life from its ruins, so must all the people within this story.

Schrader’s attention to detail illuminates a fascinating place and time in history. Her engaging characters and the tense history offers a gripping blend of fiction and reality that makes the complex political/military situation in post-WWII Berlin approachable and clear for readers, regardless of familiarity with it.

Helena P. Schrader weaves a tapestry of human resilience and courage against the backdrop of post-WWII Berlin. Cold Peace promises to be a captivating journey that will leave readers yearning for the next installment in this important historical-fiction series.

August 4, 2023
LILLY And MAY LEARN WHY MOM And DAD WORK, the Owning the Dash Kids Series by Anthony C. Delauney – Children’s Money & Finances, Picture Books, Children’s Educational Books

Lilly and May both wish that their parents didn’t have to leave for work day after day. Discover the power of money and its impact on family in the delightful Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work.

They’re both upset one morning, as Mom and Dad go to work yet again instead of staying home with them. Lilly and May’s mother assures them that they will be back later, but they have to go and earn money to support the family. Before leaving, their mother teaches Lilly and May all the ways they need and use money. She shows how it impacts the people and community around them.

This heartwarming tale packs a lot of information into a few short passages.

Explaining finance and economics to children may seem daunting, but Delauney makes it easy and fun in this story. Lilly and May learn about the price of essentials like food and clothes, and that money also pays for the services of others so that they can then support themselves and their families in turn. This short tale even explains how taxes support public services in the community such as libraries, schools, and judges.

Anthony C. Delauney’s Lilly and May Learn Why Mom and Dad Work is a sweet story that builds foundational financial concepts, valuable lessons for children to have a healthy financial future.

August 2, 2023