Description
by Camille Eide
Can the invisible walls that separate people ever come down?
In 1933, Anna Leibowicz is convinced that the American dream that brought her Jewish family here from Poland is nothing but an illusion. Her father has vanished. Her dreams of college can’t make it past the sweat-shop door. And when she discovers to her shame and horror that she’s with child, her mother gives her little choice but to leave her family. Deciding her best course of action is to try to find her father, she strikes out…hoping against hope to somehow redeem them both.
When Anna stumbles upon a house full of orphan boys in rural Indiana who are in desperate need of a tutor, she agrees to postpone her journey. But she knows from the moment she meets their contemplative, deep-hearted caretaker, Thomas Chandler, that she doesn’t dare risk staying too long. She can’t afford to open her heart to them, to him. She can’t risk letting her secrets out.
All too soon, the townspeople realize she’s not like them and treat her with the same disdain they give the Sisters of Mercy—the nuns who help Thomas and the boys—and Samuel, the quiet colored boy Thomas has taken in. With the Klan presence in the town growing ever stronger and the danger to this family increasing the longer she stays, Anna is torn between fleeing to keep them safe…and staying to fight beside them.
Oh, that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest…
BIO
Camille writes poignant, inspirational love stories some call “more than a romance.” She lives in Oregon with her husband and is a mom, grandma, office admin, lead foot, cinnamon roll baker, and a bass guitarist. She’s a fan of muscle cars, tender romance, and Peanut M&Ms.
Praise for Wings Like a Dove
“Eide delivers a powerful tale of a Jewish immigrant dealing with prejudice. Anna’s nuanced inner life and the stakes of her trip make this stand out from similar inspirational fare. [A] harrowing, enthralling tale.”
~ Publisher’s Weekly
“When worlds and cultures collide, friction and conflict are the result…but redemption is also the solution. Camille Eide has written a breathtaking novel of historical fiction that feels like fact in Wings Like a Dove. I can think of no greater compliment than I would love to see this story transformed into a feature film. Run, don’t walk to get this book in your hands.”
~ Brian Bird, co-creator and executive producer of When Calls the Heart
“Camille Eide has done it again with Wings Like a Dove! Her captivating characters and riveting plot kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. This Depression-era story takes us from New York City to rural Indiana, on a multi-faceted struggle against shame, injustice, and fear. Just when it seems that bane of prejudice will prevail, Camille works her story-telling magic and raises the stakes even higher for a group of disenfranchised children and adults, who are threatened with losing everything.”
~ Leslie Gould, #1 Best Selling and Christy Award Winning Author of over 30 novels
“With her previous novels, Camille Eide proved herself a talented storyteller. With her newest book, Wings Like A Dove, she once again offers a story that skillfully engages both mind and heart. Set during the Great Depression, it’s the story of a Polish Jewish immigrant named Anna. Unwed and pregnant, turned out by her mother, she leaves New York for Chicago in search of her missing father. On her journey, she meets six orphan boys, a young former pastor who acts as their guardian, two Catholic sisters, a lonely farm wife and a contingent of Ku Klux Klansmen…all of whom change her life. For lovers of historical fiction, this book is an absolute delight!”
~ Ann Tatlock, novelist, blogger and children’s book author
“Rich historical details and three-dimensional characters populate Camille Eide’s masterful novel, Wings Like a Dove. Eide’s beautiful writing draws the reader into Anna Leibowicz’s world in 1933, while surreptitiously holding a mirror to the present. One of those wonderful stories that gives you all the feels–including that satisfying moment at the end when you read the last page and know the time spent between the covers of the book was very well spent.”
~ Cindy Kelley, Author & Screenwriter
“Once again in Wings Like a Dove, Camille Eide takes her readers to places we didn’t know we needed to go. She invites us to consider who is the outsider, who responds to discrimination, and who will be carried on wings like a dove. Anna, Thomas, a cadre of children, and an important search for forgiveness marks this compelling story peopled with characters we love. I will take many phrases to encourage my days from this story, the most significant for me being ‘Shame is a terrible thief,’ and so it is. Enjoy this story of love lost and found!”
~ Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times Bestselling author of One More River to Cross.
“Camille Eide’s latest novel transports readers back to 1930s America when racial tensions were high and those who showed compassion were persecuted. With Camille’s signature style of boldness and grace, Wings Like a Dove is an authentic glimpse at the trials and triumph of one immigrant family determined to succeed against the odds. It’s a courageous, difficult journey with a beautiful ending that breathes hope into breaking cycles of abuse today.”
~ Melanie Dobson, award-winning author of Catching the Wind and Memories of Glass
“Both gorgeous and harrowing, Wings Like a Dove shows the dangers of allowing hatred and racism to grow in a community—and the importance of standing up for right, even when it’s dangerous. Anna, Thomas, and Samuel are lovely characters full of depth and strength, and Thomas shows the beauty of a Christian putting his faith in action. With a poignant romance, the story satisfies on every level. Camille Eide has penned another memorable novel. Don’t miss it!”
~ Sarah Sundin, bestselling and award-winning author of The Sea Before Us and The Sky Above Us
“Wings Like a Dove by Camille Eide is a gripping, unforgettable novel. Eide writes the kind of story we shouldn’t forget, challenging readers about how judging others can lead to racism and how unforgiveness — both of ourselves and others — can destroy our ability to love, to heal. Woven with threads of tenderness and grace, Eide encourages us to think about the choices that mark history…and the choices that are affecting us today.”
~ Beth K. Vogt, Christy Award-winning author of Moments We Forget and Things I Never Told You
“Wings Like a Dove is a beautiful, powerful story. Camille Eide takes you on a journey with Anna that is gut-wrenching and real, and you’ll find that you can’t tear yourself away. Unafraid to tackle difficult issues, Eide does a brilliant job bringing the characters to life and makes you think long and hard each and every step of the way.”
~ Kimberley Woodhouse, Carol Award-Winning and Best-selling Author
“Author Camille Eide has a gift for taking the darkest moments of our history and turning them into stories of enduring strength. In Wings Like a Dove, she’s created unforgettable characters who exhibit grace and courage, even while facing intense prejudice. After reading this beautiful novel, I’m inspired to look around myself and see how little the world has changed—and do my part to make it better. Don’t miss this one.”
~ Karen Barnett, author of the Vintage National Parks series
Chris Unwin (verified owner) –
What a perfect book. It has it all. A love story, a history lesson, and it teaches tolerance and acceptance. It wraps its arms around you and holds you tight from the first chapter to the last page. It is set as the Great Depression is just on its last legs.
Anna, a young Jewish woman, starts off on a journey to Chicago but ends up getting waylaid along the way. Here she meets Thomas, a kind hearted carpenter with 6 orphan boys who need help passing end of year school tests. However does Anna have time to teach them? She does have a personal deadline. Will the town let Anna stay once they find out she is a Jew? Did you know there was a WKKK movement? (Woman’s Ku Klux Klan) She is risking so much by staying. Each week it is more scary for Anna to stay but the boys need to pass the end of year school test and Samuel the young Negro boy really needs Anna.
….and then Anna’s greatest fear happens! Clean Read.
Susan Maas (verified owner) –
Wings Like a Dove is an amazing story of a difficult era in American history–with frightening echoes today–when the KKK was in full swing running a campaign of terror against immigrants and people of color. When Anna, a young Jewish woman, finds herself pregnant and unwed, her mother forces her to leave home. Wandering far from home, she meets Thomas, a carpenter who runs a small orphanage for six young boys, one of them a black boy whose previous trauma has rendered him mute. Offered work, Anna becomes their teacher, coming to love the boys, as well as Thomas, However, she is not accepted in the town, and once her pregnancy becomes apparent, hatred and bigotry arise in force. Anna must make some difficult decisions, as must the people of the town, as hatred spills over into violence. Camille Eide creates realistic characters, complete with fears and failings, but also sympathetic people that make the reader want to keep reading to find out how their story will turn out. Much more than a romance, this book touches upon important issues of prejudice, as well as the redeeming love of God. Touching and highly recommended!
paulamarys49 (verified owner) –
Wings Like a Dove by Camille Eide tells of harsh times in our nation’s history when bigotry ruled in the name of moral justice.
“We will never have unity as long as people demand sameness. Unity is not sameness, but oneness of purpose. But whose purpose.”
This story takes place in the 1930’s when almost everyone was poor and jobs were scarce.
Anna Leibowicz is forced to flee her life in New York City through a humiliation she brought on herself. She starts out for Chicago in search of her father, who has been missing for six years. She is led to a small town in Indiana where she finds work as a tutor for six orphaned boys in exchange for room and board until she can resume her journey.
She is making progress with her students and coaxing a small, mute black boy to speak, but she is wary of making friends. As soon as the town finds out she is a Jew, she is ostracized along with Sam, the black child.
This story is raw, it is real, it doesn’t shy away from hard things and yet it is filled with compassion and Grace.
“Will not all need mercy at some time in our lives? Mercy we do not deserve? It is a precious gift and yet it is free. Forgiveness and mercy are always possible because they are gifts from God.”
“If love is genuine, then compassion must follow, because compassion is the most basic act of love.”
“If ultimate love is found in the ultimate sacrifice, then I will consider what the cross of Christ truly means.”
This story holds eternal truths that have applications yet today. In my opinion, Ms. Eide has done a superior job of giving us much to think about and apply to our own lives.
*I received a complimentary ebook from WhiteFire Publishers on behalf of the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*
Kailey Bechtel (verified owner) –
While I wasn’t sure what to expect since this author is new to me, I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book. I loved the lessons on loyalty, acceptance, forgiveness, but most of all love and hope. This book had great examples of seeing the goodness in the bad and ugliness of life. I would definitely recommend this book!
I was given a complimentary copy of this ebook from the author, but was not required to write a review. The thoughts and comments are my own.
Kim G. (verified owner) –
One of my favorite books is The Memoir of Johnny Devine by Camille Eide. So I was really excited to read Wings Like a Dove. This story is set in 1933. With the presence of the Klan, there is a lot of bigotry, hate, and heartbreak in this story. But, there is also a lot of hope, love, and forgiveness.
I was drawn into this story from the first page and even when I wasn’t reading, I kept thinking about the characters. The things that Anna and Samuel go through will make your heart ache. I really loved Anna and her resilience and how she always made the best of her circumstances. I especially loved her relationship with Samuel. Thomas was a wonderful character. I love how he had taken in the boys to keep them from having to go to an orphanage. He truly showed the love of Christ.
This story is both heartbreaking and beautiful – a story you won’t want to miss.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
Beckie Burnham (verified owner) –
When I learned that Camille Eide had a new book coming out, I knew I would have to read it. I read The Memoir of Johnny Devine, and loved it! It was a book that I kept thinking about long after it was finished. Well, I now have another book to ponder and to recommend to anyone who will listen. Wings Like A Dove is an historical/romance novel set in the 1930s. Eide captures the era perfectly with its hoboes on the move, tough economic times, and the persistent bigotry and suspicion that met anyone who was different. This was an America I didn’t know much about, revealing not only the evils within, but the heroic spirit that can overcome that evil. And in case you are wondering, its message is very relevant for us today. Wings Like A Dove earns a highly recommended rating.
Anna Leibowicz has many things against her — she’s an immigrant, Jewish, and an unwed mother. Facing shame and hopelessness she embarks on a journey to find her missing father. But a wrong turn lands her in small town Indiana where she finds purpose in teaching 6 children in need of mothering. But while Anna finds a home in the unusual household, she also faces extreme prejudice, intimidation, and threats. The small town of Corbin doesn’t welcome anyone who is different from them.
The 1933 setting of a small farming community in Indiana was an eye-opener to me. I am from the South where history can be a very painful thing to face. Yet, I didn’t know that extreme prejudice against others — black, immigrant, Jew, Catholic — existed across America. Ignorant or naive, I am not sure which I was, but I am glad that I read Wings Like A Dove to begin to understand the history of bigotry in America. And while that aspect of the book was difficult to read, its strong message of forgiveness and redemption covers all the ugliness portrayed. Characterization is strong in the novel. The story is told in a third person narrative, but also through letters from Anna to her sister back in New York. The two combined created a whole picture of what Anna felt and faced. She, along with the other characters — Thomas, young Samuel, neighbor Sarah, and the Sisters Mary — were wonderfully written. I appreciated Eide’s depiction of the antagonists as well. They were not faceless, but became real to this reader. Shame is a strong theme within the novel. Anna’s view of God and herself slowly changes as she faces grace and acceptance. And I loved the coming together of people from different faith backgrounds — Jewish, Catholic, and Baptist — in standing up for each other and what was right.
Wings Like A Dove is an emotionally charged novel, not easily read. It is, however, one you will be so happy you did. Eide provided great historical detail in the afterword and insightful discussion questions. You will be glad of that, because you will want to share your reading experience. Grab some reading friends or your book club and dig in!
Highly Recommended.
Great for Book Clubs.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Pam Nicolay (verified owner) –
I really enjoyed this book and it was a great love story with a little history thrown in. It’s about Anna Leibowicz and her family coming to America. Anna discovers she is pregnant and is forced to leave by her Mother.She leaves and head toward Chicago to look for her father.She runs into a bunch of orphan boys and their caretaker Thomas Chandler in Indiana.
She stays to help with their schooling and help with their care.The Sisters of Mercy school burned down so Thomas and the boys help rebuild it.The sisters bring stuff to help the boys and Anna.
The townspeople do not trust Anna or Samuel the little black boy who will not talk.Anna and him form a bond.
The Klan is involved in things going on in town.It is a very exciting read and you just want to keep reading it.
Stephanie Young –
“I think any story that makes blind assumptions or blanket accusations about an entire group of people could not possibly be true.” – that’s just one quote from this wonderful new novel by Camille Eide, out just in time for Christmas. I started reading it several times over the last 10 days, but kept getting interrupted. Yesterday while I had two boys sick at home, however, this book was a wonder way to relax with Daniel cuddled in my lap watching videos on my phone. The characters are so real and raw, and I felt myself experiencing with Anna her dread, shame, confusion and growing in strength and awe. Such a powerful story for a time such as this.
One more quote to chew on- “I do not know the extent of evil or where it lurks, but I think wherever apathy, superiority, or injustice rule, evil is not far.”
I highly recommend everyone to read Wings like a Dove by Camille Eide!
kristen (verified owner) –
I was captivated by this story from the very beginning. I loved Anna, Thomas and the 6 orphan boys. Thomas won my heart over because he had taken the boys into his home to keep them out of the orphanage. Anna always made the best of her circumstances. Bravery and voices were found and they took a stand against wrong. I experienced many feelings while reading….sadness, anger, love and happiness. I am still thinking about this book and these characters! So beautifully written.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. A review was not required.
All thoughts/comments are my own
mouttet.menagerie –
When an author can pull up strong emotions in her reader, she has done a good job. In many respects Wings Like a Dove was a hard read, yet one I was compelled to finish to find out the ending. Camille Eide took a difficult period in U.S. history and crafted a novel that helps the reader experience those difficult times. I was heartbroken over the heartless and hateful behavior Anna and Samuel had to endure just because one was a Jew (and unwed and pregnant) and the other a black child.
Eide includes brief author notes at the close of the book to clarify some of the history contained in the book.
While I would have liked the story to continue – would have enjoyed following the lives of the characters for a while longer – the book does end in such a way to indicate all the story has been told. I did like the way the story ended – with a letter from one of the characters written when he was an old man.
Potential Area of Concern
The story does contain what some would consider mild profanity that in my opinion could have just as well been left out.
In spite of my concerns I would probably still place Wings Like a Dove in my K-12 Christian school library because it is such a well-written book about a time period our kids need to be reminded of. It is probably most appropriate for high school. I do recommend Wings Like a Dove.
I want to thank Celebrate Lit for the complimentary review copy. This is my honest review.
Winnie Thomas (verified owner) –
“We will never have unity as long as people demand sameness. Unity is not sameness, but oneness of purpose. But whose purpose? Who gets to decide?”
Camille Eide’s poignant and heart-wrenching story, Wings Like a Dove, swept me away and kept me riveted to the end. Set in 1933 when times were especially hard economically throughout America, this tale brought out not only the problems of poverty, but also those of racism and intolerance. Masterfully written and populated with colorful, layered characters, this is a story I won’t soon forget. Its rich imagery and impeccable historical detail, combined with tender messages of forgiveness, grace, and mercy touched my heart.
“Will we not all need mercy at some time in our lives? Mercy we do not deserve? It is a precious gift, and yet it is free. Everyone has the power to give it.”
The main characters, Thomas Chandler and Anna Leibowicz, endured much in their pasts, yet come together to try to help 6 orphaned boys. I loved Thomas’s kind, compassionate heart and Anna’s willingness to help others who were suffering, even though she had problems of her own. Samuel, one of the orphaned boys, was one of my favorite characters. He had wisdom beyond his years and had been traumatized over and over, yet his resiliency touched my heart. Anna’s friend Sarah was another favorite. Her courage and strength were inspiring. We all need a friend like Sarah in our lives.
This quote has a wonderful message for everyone.
“I think people dislike those they do not know because they cannot see the good in others. What if we choose instead to be blind to people’s flaws and shortcomings, and the differences we do not understand?”
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys excellent historical fiction. It has earned a place on my list of top reads of the year.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Sarah Snider –
As an avid reader of Christian historical fiction, finding a distinctive work that truly stands out from the rest and also covers a little-known time period can be challenging. Earlier this year I read Cathy Gohlke’s “The Medallion” and appreciated it for being a different type of Holocaust narrative. Throughout college, I took courses on and studied the Holocaust, focusing mostly on the concentration camps. However, I do not remember studying the earlier years of Hitler’s rise to power, nor do I recall reading accounts of Jewish life in America prior to WWII. This is obviously not to say that they don’t exist, but rather that literature, especially when fictional, tends to focus on the War and the atrocities perpetrated therein. Part of the reason why I loved “Wings Like a Dove” so much is that it diverges from the conventional novel about Jewish people during this era.
Writing with verdant detail, Camille Eide cultivates a poignant story within the pages of “Wings Like a Dove.” Interestingly, this story takes place in America in 1933, the same year in which Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. After leaving their native Poland, Anna Leibowicz and her family are struggling to make a life in America, which is turning out not to be the promised land of opportunity for everyone. Anna is such an interesting, multi-faceted character, and her growth and maturation are beautiful yet heartrending to witness. After becoming pregnant out of wedlock, she is forced to leave her home and make her own way, which lands her in the role of tutor to six orphaned boys whose caretaker’s deeply-held Christian beliefs both baffle and intrigue her. She has always lived in a community in which neighbor took care of neighbor, but she doesn’t understand the workings of Christianity: “A choice? To belong to a religion? How strange. Being a Jew was not a choice.” This was eye-opening for me because it offers perspective; being a Christian is a matter of asking Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior, whereas being Jewish is something that you are born into.
A fact that I did not fully realize before reading this novel is that living in America did not exempt Jewish people from persecution. Although America became a safe haven for Jewish refugees during and after WWII, and I have always considered those who immigrated prior to Hitler’s invasion of Poland as being secure, “Wings Like a Dove” sheds light on how dangerous it was to be Jewish: “All she knew was you could be tormented for a heritage you did not choose. You could inherit a life of constant upheaval and uncertainty whether you wanted it or not. You could be despised for the odious crime of simply being born.” This is the crux of the story’s conflict both within Anna herself and in the world around her. Sadly, this is something that we still see today, but we must remember that accepting Jesus brings us to a glorious eternal inheritance regardless of race or nationality.
Eide deftly works the historical atmosphere into “Wings Like a Dove.” The Campbell Home for Mothers and Children in this novel puts me in mind of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and highlights some of the potential danger faced by the orphan boys. In the same manner, Sam’s elective mutism bespeaks past trauma inflicted due to the color of his skin. As aforementioned, xenophobia plays a major role in the story, with the Jewish people being discriminated against along with Catholics, Negroes, and other immigrants. The Ku Klux Klan enters into the narrative as well. I applaud Eide for demonstrating that racism is always wrong and that we should offer Christ’s love to everyone because that is what will ultimately triumph. For further exploration, there are discussion questions included at the end of the book, followed by more generalized discussion questions about broader points.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.
calamity_manda –
This book is amazing! The historical aspect of it was so interesting and gave me a lot to think about. Like, how hard it must of been to come to the “Land of the Free” to find that there were still prejudices over here that could get one hurt. And, how hard it was for those small towns that suffered from the prejudiced running them to change and uphold the laws. I was blown away by Camille’s writing. She gives readers an excellent, thought provoking story about one brave young woman who seeks to make the world around her a better place by putting her family and her unborn child’s needs before her own, causing her to strike out on her own. This is an excellent story to pick up! I look forward to reading more of Camille’s stories!
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.
Lelia (Lucy) Reynolds –
Wow! The old saying, how do you eat an elephant….one bite at a time…describes how to take in this beautifully crafted novel. There are so many nuggets of gold to glean if you take your time. It shines the light on judgement, prejudice, preconceived notions, and fear of what we don’t understand. It takes place in the 1930’s but could have just as well been written in present day. The strength of character that Anna shows is impressive although she was carrying burdens of secrets and blaming herself. It is a story that has you weeping and feeling sorry for the injustices that take place. It will open your heart to love and show compassion on your fellow man, as we are all created by God. I loved this book from the characters to the details of the story line. I can’t find all the right words to describe what I want to say without spoilers, so I will just say it needs to be read. This is a new author to me and I will be looking to reading more by her.
I received a complimentary copy from CelebrateLit/author. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
Lis Loves Reading (verified owner) –
Wings Like a Dove, by Camille Eide, is one of the most moving novels I have ever read. The history it explores and the themes it pursues are powerfully intense, necessary, and timely. This well-written novel is gut-wrenchingly raw and honest, yet it is not without hope. It is tender, beautiful, emotionally-stirring, and thought-provoking.
This novel bravely and boldly explores very difficult and sensitive topics such as prejudice, racism, gossip, hatred, and hypocrisy. Even still, I couldn’t turn away. I found the stories and perspectives contained within this novel to be incredibly compelling, because Ms. Eide has skillfully crafted believable characters who are vulnerable, flawed, and achingly real.
At times, this novel broke my heart. I wept and I grieved for those who actually lived this story beyond the world of ink on paper. As revealed throughout history, and as depicted in the pages of this book, the human capacity for evil is beyond my fathoming. Yet, the human capacity for compassion and self-sacrifice is equally striking. This book also reveals that where there is unwarranted hatred and oppression, there will always be those who purposefully risk much to oppose such injustice and cruelty.
When fiction can make us explore our own hearts, our own motivations, our own insecurities, and our own fears, it is an incredibly marvelous thing. When fiction can nurture positive change, then written words become something profound and meaningful. This book and its many poignant themes reminds us all that assumptions can be dangerous, empathy is life-changing, and grace and forgiveness can lead to healing and reconciliation.
Throughout this novel, Ms. Eide also illustrates the capacity of God’s love to heal wounded hearts and broken lives. This story never fails to affirm the promise that God is near to everyone at all times. It is He who makes a way when no way can be found. Even in moments of regret, even in situations that seem desperately bleak, and even in the midst of significant shame, fear, and danger there can be found an unshakeable hope when trust is placed securely in the promises of an eternal God.
Wings Like a Dove is truly an outstanding novel from beginning to end. Ms. Eide’s talent for storytelling is remarkable. Her writing is well-researched, descriptive, and very immersive. Within every paragraph and page there is deep meaning, real truth, and thoughtful purpose. This story is relevant, fascinating, and unforgettable. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
*I was given a copy of this book by the author/publisher. A review was not required. The review I have written is voluntary and contains opinions that are entirely my own.
Mary Hake (verified owner) –
This poignant novel offers a glimpse into the lives of some innocents who must deal with prejudice. Anna, a young Jewish woman leaves her impoverished life in New York in 1933 to go in search of her father. People’s harsh attitudes toward her will only deteriorate when they learn her painful secret. She ends up in a small town in Indiana and befriends a group of orphan boys, including one black lad. They also face the terrors of the Ku Klux Klan there. The author’s writing draws you right into the lives and difficulties of the characters, and the story felt quite real.
I find the connections we as readers bring to a story quite interesting. I had recently finished a novel where the guilty person tried to continue Hitler’s final solution (not named since this is a spoiler), and last year read The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma, which shared stories of stolen children who were “sold,” so the horrible home for unwed mothers in this book did not surprise me. One thing that did surprise me was that a former preacher would marry again while his original wife was still living—I do not believe such a covenant relationship can be ended except by death, as Paul teaches in Scripture, so divorce for unfaithfulness is allowed but not remarriage. Also, my Polish and German Catholic ancestors who immigrated to America did face persecution, and my hometown, unfortunately, was one that did not allow black people to remain after sundown, plus this Northwest town did have an active KKK. History contains painful pieces, but we can learn from it and strive to do better in the future. That’s the message I gleaned from this book.