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MWSA Review
In My Father and My Uncles, author Jim Hodge successfully weaves together the diverse stories of six young men who served in World War II and relates how their lives converged. While setting out to chronicle the war experiences of family members may seem challenging, Hodge has succeeded admirably. He provides detailed historical context for each war experience as well as personal information about each man, allowing readers to get to know them and understand how their service fits into the larger strategic picture of the war. While recounting their war experiences, the author weaves together threads that eventually unite them into a family in peacetime. Hodge’s inclusion of his father’s B-17 bombing mission diary is excellent historical material, and its last sentence is truly timeless: “I am thankful to finish safe. I just wish all the boys could have done the same.” A heartfelt and insightful book, and an admirable tribute to American veterans. Highly recommended.
Review by Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Author's Synopsis
From the building of the Ledo Road into China, to the battlefields of Guadalcanal, New Guinea, the Philippines, and the air and ground war on continental Europe, the author's father and uncles relate their World War II timelines and experiences.
Through interviews and correspondence with each of these six men before their passings, the pattern of young men being transitioned from the Depression into a wartime footing is not only a precious family history, but a chronology that reflects on all those who served in those years. In total, these young men were spread out across six of the earth's seven continents. Included is a recently discovered handwritten journal of one of the men's bombing missions over Eastern Europe.
Praise God that they each came home to create the extended family that the author has been privileged to be part of.
Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 217 / 22,427