Bastard Soldier, Earnest Medic by Michael Plotkowski

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Bastard Soldier, Earnest Medic is a raw, darkly funny, and unflinchingly honest narrative that follows Joe's unlikely transformation from a wayward teenager into a soldier and army physician assistant forged in the chaos of three deployments.

What begins as a desperate courtroom gamble, spirals into a wild, unpredictable journey through the chaos and cruelty of basic training, the reckless escapades and misadventures of Fort Bliss, and the bizarre, often darkly comic theater of military life. Kosovo awakens Joe's curiosity for the world; medical training initiates him in the crude and intense; Iraq baptizes him in blood, trauma, and loss; and Afghanistan forces him to confront himself amid war's contradictions.

Through black humor, medical grit, and reckless choices, Joe stumbles toward purpose. He learns to laugh at the insanity and carry scars that don't fade. This isn't a flag-waving war story - it's a brutally human one: messy, vulgar, hilarious, and profound.

In the end, Joe doesn't find glory. He finds perspective. Bastard Soldier, Earnest Medic is the unforgettable story of a man who learns to own every absurd, appalling, and incredible piece of his past, findings unexpected purpose in the journey.

Raw, hilarious, and deeply human, Bastard Soldier, Earnest Medic will make you laugh, wince, and rethink everything you thought you knew about life in uniform.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Creative Nonfiction
Pages/Word count: 202 / 82,000

Always On My Mind by Bob Every

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Emmett McDonald never planned to start a war. He just wanted a beer on a Sunday in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania.

Janice Wilson never planned a five-million-step quest through the wilderness—the Appalachian Trail. But it's not Mount Katahdin she's aiming for. It's Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, an insignificant town of under three hundred people.

Brace yourself—Emmett McDonald, a battle-hardened veteran of three wars, is now in a struggle a lot bigger than a closed bar on a Sunday. It's about who makes the rules - and who has the grit to stand up to them.

Can an irascible Irishman with street smarts, scars, and an inconvenient conscience take on the people who run everything? And what happens when Janice finally reaches Port Clinton?

Do you believe street smarts can win over organized power? Does the quest of Don Quixote of La Mancha inspire you? Am I a good enough writer to pull it off?

Clicking the sample bar suffices. The decision is yours.

Format(s) for review: Kindle & paper
Review genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction
Pages/Word count: 273 / 70,000

Sirens in the Loop - A History of the City News Bureau of Chicago by Paul Zimbrakos / James Elsener

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

“Sirens in the Loop” traces the rise and legacy of the City News Bureau of Chicago, the legendary news wire service that shaped generations of reporters and defined the city’s gritty journalistic identity.
Through vivid storytelling, the book explores its founding, its relentless “If your mother says she loves you, check it out” ethos, and the countless scoops, scandals, and characters forged in its chaotic newsroom. From crime scenes to city hall, it chronicles how the bureau’s demanding culture sharpened young reporters’ instincts and left an enduring imprint on American journalism.
“Co-authored by veteran editors Paul Zimbrakos and James Elsener, the narrative traces the agency’s evolution from its founding in 1890 to its “final” closure 115 years later. It offers a front-row seat to Chicago’s most harrowing headlines, including the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the Our Lady of the Angels fire, and the Tylenol murders. Beyond the hard news, the book captures the "Chicago style" of reporting through hundreds of anecdotes from alumni luminaries like Mike Royko, Kurt Vonnegut, and Seymour Hersh.
The title refers to the "Sirens in the Loop" BULLETINS that signaled immediate breaking news to the city’s media outlets. From the clatter of manual typewriters and pneumatic delivery tubes to the digital age, this book stands as a testament to a bygone era of street-smart, high-stakes reporting that shaped the landscape of American journalism.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—History
Pages/Word count: 272 / 75,000

Unlearning What Worked by Matthew West-James

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Unlearning What Worked is a collection of lived stories about trying to be a successful human in a world that keeps changing the rules.

For much of my life, I relied on the tools that once kept me safe: staying invisible, avoiding risk, following the rules, and doing what was expected. On paper, those strategies worked. The career progressed. The responsibilities grew. From the outside, things looked successful.

But over time, those same tools stopped working. Growth slowed. Satisfaction faded. The paths that once felt reliable began to feel constraining instead of protective.

These essays trace moments from my life where progress required letting go of what had previously worked, and learning to adapt without a clear playbook. They are stories about leadership, failure, stagnation, and change. About discovering that success does not always come with fulfillment. And about becoming more intentional, honest, and present in the life I was building.

This is not a guidebook or a set of prescriptions. It is a reflective collection for readers who find themselves between versions of who they were and who they are becoming, and who are learning that growth sometimes begins by unlearning.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 81 / 14,980

Wooftastic and Mr. Wonderful by Circe Olson Woessner

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

This easy-to-read chapter book tells the story of Danny, also known as WOOFTASTIC, in his own words. Danny is part of a service family that goes wherever Uncle Sam sends them. Danny is loyal, opinionated, and imaginative. He loves his family and keeps them organized and safe. His main jobs are to guard his family from stress and very big monsters, and to keep them from getting lost in the woods. He loves Daddy first, and then it's a hard choice between Grandma and Mommy. Grandma cooks better, so that makes it a little easier to pick her.

Danny is a real dog, and his real 95-year-old grandma drew the pictures in this book to accompany his real and made-up adventures. Young readers will appreciate the stories as told in dog speak, and adults can imagine how their dogs would react if they were dropped into Danny’s/WOOFTASTIC’s adventures.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Children & Young Adult—Children's Chapter Book
Pages/Word count: 102 / 20,161

The Gotland Deception by James Rosone

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

The world was on fire.
It didn’t matter who started it…
…only who ended it.

In the 2030s, the era of Putin and Xi ended, not with a bang, but in a poisoned whisper. In their place, new leaders emerged—charismatic, technocratic, and unflinchingly bold. As Russia and China purged their past, crushing the oligarchy, an alliance for future control emerged.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 357 / 102,000

Commanding the Stars: War, Strategy, and Power in Science Fiction by Michael A. VanPutte

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Author's Synopsis

From Sun Tzu and Clausewitz to Heinlein and Orwell, Commanding the Stars explores how writers and strategists alike grapple with the essence of conflict, its logic, its instruments, and its human cost. Whether examining cyber warfare, autonomous systems, or the manipulation of perception and information, VanPutte demonstrates that fictional futures often forecast the next evolution of command and combat.

Organized into five comprehensive parts — Foundations, Means, Military Concepts, Ways, and End Game — the book dissects the anatomy of war across real and imagined battlefields. Readers encounter the full spectrum of strategic thought, from mobilization and logistics to deception, subversion, and the ethical reckoning that follows every campaign.

Drawing vivid lessons from Star Wars, The Expanse, Star Trek, and beyond, VanPutte shows how speculative narratives challenge assumptions and compel flexible, creative thinking, the very traits upon which survival and victory depend. As Eileen Gunn once observed, “Science fiction, at its best, engenders the sort of flexible thinking that not only inspires us but compels us to consider the myriad potential consequences of our actions.”

At once scholarly and visionary, Commanding the Stars bridges the worlds of the strategist and the storyteller. It invites military professionals, students, and writers alike to test their theories within the boundless theater of imagination, before confronting the unforgiving terrain of reality.2026

Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook

Nonfiction

Last Gunship Dial M for Mullinnix by Frank A. Wood

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

War kills everything! What could be worse? A boiler room explosion and fire, a putrefied body in the bilges, a reefer dedicated to body bags, and the unimaginable – a possible murderer aboard ship!
Wood captures the psychological & emotional reality of serving during Vietnam with unflinching detail and authenticity. Raw. Real. Vivid. Disillusionment. Its humanity laid bare. A powerful account of the camaraderie and haunting aftermath of sailors that served on the Vietnam Gunline in the mid-1960s.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 313 / 56,346

Paddy and the Banshee: A Mythical Memoir Unlike Any Other by Marty Martin

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

The story began as a fantasy based on a childhood memory about a Banshee in Ireland. As repressed memories surfaced, the story evolved into a memoir unlike any other. The story blends imagination with the true story about six-year-old Paddy in the 1960s and his life in New York City, to rural Kilkenny County in Ireland, and back to New York, and how he learned that Banshees are real while also managing to navigate and survive a broken home and a variety of other early-life challenges. The boy’s name may not really be Paddy, but to tell this story, a hint of Irishness and anonymity may be necessary.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 196 / 35,992

Coherent Chaos: The Unity Paradox... by A. Quinn Stanley, Ph.D.

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

What if conflict could be your greatest teacher-and your pathway to peace? In Coherent Chaos, educator, veteran, and "blue-collar philosopher" A. Quinn Stanley draws from a lifetime of paradoxes—military and ministry, science and faith, rebellion and redemption—to explore one unifying question: How do we connect through the very chaos that divides us? Blending riveting personal narratives with deep neurological, psychological, and theological insight, Stanley proposes a daring thesis: conflict, when handled with wisdom, can actually foster healing, clarity, and unity. Whether it's reconciling science and religion, understanding the subconscious triggers behind our behavior, or simply learning to listen across differences, Coherent Chaos is both a memoir and a manual for turning turmoil into transformation. This intellectual journey defies genre—part auto ethnography, part spiritual reflection, part social science. Ultimately, it is a hope-filled invitation to find harmony within the dissonance of modern life.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Other—Religious/Spiritual
Pages/Word count: 316 / 117,015

My Father and My Uncles by Jim Hodge

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MWSA Review Pending

 

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

College Finances for Military Families by Kate Horrell

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

College Funding for Military Families is a simple yet comprehensive guide designed to help service members, veterans, and their families make smart, informed decisions about paying for higher education. With clear explanations and practical information, this book walks readers through the entire planning process―from understanding the education benefits earned through military service to learning how to coordinate those resources with other forms of financial aid. When you're done reading, you'll have a clear view of how to build a college financial plan that supports the education goals of the entire family.

Whether you're navigating your first duty station or left the service years ago, this guide demystifies the complex landscape of military education benefits. It provides straightforward information about the most widely used programs, including the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Tuition Assistance, and the Yellow Ribbon Program. It also breaks down how and when to transfer GI Bill benefits to a spouse or child, what happens when eligibility changes, and how to ensure that those benefits are used efficiently and strategically. In addition to federal programs, College Funding for Military Families shines a light on state-level programs for military dependents, outside scholarships, and the implications of military life on in-state tuition.

Military families will see how to layer military-connected education benefits with civilian financial tools such as 529 college savings plans, federal student aid (including the FAFSA and Pell Grant), and private scholarships and grants. You'll learn how prioritize all these resources to build a strategic college funding plan that stretches resources for multiple children or degrees. This guide also addresses the realities of military life that affect educational planning―frequent moves, deployment cycles, unpredictable orders, and the transition to civilian life. You'll find tips on how to maintain eligibility through these challenges, how to choose flexible or military-friendly schools, and how to spot red flags in schools that aggressively market to military families.

Written by a financial educator with deep expertise in both college funding strategies and military benefit systems, this book is packed with real-life examples, timelines, and plain-English explanations that help military households avoid costly mistakes. It's not a textbook―it's a practical resource you can refer to again and again as your family's education needs evolve.

Whether your goal is a four-year university, a trade school, a graduate degree, or professional certification, College Funding for Military Families will help you unlock the full value of your benefits and build a cost-effective plan that works for your family. It's a must-read for any military household thinking about higher education―whether you're planning years in advance or scrambling to meet next semester's deadlines.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—How to/Business
Pages/Word count: 100 / 24,595

The Enigmatical Sphere of El Chupa-Ku by Juan Manuel Perez

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MWSA Review

Writing from the perspective of a Mexican American Marine veteran of indigenous descent, the poet uses haiku poems to breathe life into and resurrect the legend of the chupacabra. This is not a traditional, somber exploration of nature, but rather a dance between the terrifying and the hilarious.

The chupacabra, often translated from Spanish as "goat sucker," is a legendary creature rooted in Latin American folklore, known for allegedly attacking livestock and draining their blood. It’s described as a two-legged, alien-like animal about four feet tall with spikes along its back, large eyes, and a reptilian-kangaroo appearance.

The chupacabra emerges not as a one-dimensional folklore predator but as a transformational archetype—vampiric killer, misunderstood outcast, pop culture icon, and metaphor for primal drives. El chupacabra becomes an all-encompassing lens: horror icon, comedic antihero, mysterious unsubstantiated predator, and cultural symbol.

The poet blends traditional three-line 5-7-5 syllable haiku structure with irreverent humor—pairing Godzilla fights, Mars colonies, personal ads, and tequila-drunk dances while grounding the absurdity in South Texas landscapes of mesquite trees, full moons, gray hides, and drained livestock.

Far from mere monster mixtures, the poems weave folklore with satire, horror, and poignant melancholy. Lighthearted entries imagine chupacabras in absurd scenarios: writing memoirs, starring in TV shows, wrestling goats, or posting personal ads for fatalistic partners. Darker pieces evoke genuine dread—silent coops, twisted goat faces in morning dew, the gray beast stalking under moonlight—echoing real rural fears of loss and the unknown.

Sharp and witty wording, (“Chupa-Man is born," "chupacabra tipping”), absurd scenarios (chupacabra crawl dance, "Take Your Chupacabra to School Day," radioactive Chupa-Man origin) alternate with chilling vignettes (silent coops, waiting in woods for skeptics, "let your pets come out") and cultural fusion (Olmec nagual meets Cthulhu) create a playful make-believe universe. Wordplay abounds ("Chupa-Khan," "Luchacabrador," "chupacabristas"), and pop-culture crossovers (Godzilla battles, Jimmy Kimmel guests, personal ads seeking "like-minded sucker") keep the tone lively without diluting the horror.

Deeper currents emerge: themes of marginalization ("prejudiced hotel," extinction dismissed), hunger as impartial ("chupacabras do not care / for it is just food"), and imagination as defense ("the only proof between us / fear or not to fear"). The poet subtly critiques human monstrosity ("why worry about / terrible chupacabras / worry about man") while embracing the beast as a kindred spirit: wild, self-serving, unapologetic.

Humor dominates much of the sequence: absurd combinations (Giant Chupacabra vs. King Kong comparing B.O., Chupacabra Flats on Mars, "Married with Chupacabras" TV show) inject levity, while pop-culture nods (Jimmy Kimmel, Scary Monsters Magazine) make it gleefully contemporary. Self-referential humor ("I don't always write / poems about chupacabras / ...who am I kidding") acknowledges the mania, yet the collection never flags.

By reimagining the chupacabra through gallows humor and rhythmic brevity, the author invites us to look past the shadow in the mesquite woods and recognize the "code of life" that governs all survivors.

It is a masterful blend of regional folklore, veteran grit, and playful poeticism. The collection celebrates imagination as proof against skepticism, turning a regional legend into a mirror for human fears, hungers, and absurdities.

Ultimately, the poet argues that belief in monsters (chupacabras or otherwise) confronts deeper anxieties: "you believe in ghosts / I, in el chupacabras / which makes us less scared." A masterful blend of folklore, satire, dread, and cultural pride. Highly original and endlessly re-readable.

Review by Frank Taylor

 

Author's Synopsis

Bilingual Edition
Just when you thought it was safe to liberate beautiful and natural haiku into the eloquent abode of nature, only to be violently attacked by a horrid, supernatural hybrid called el chupa-ku. Combining the simple, American haiku form with the legend and lore of el chupacabras, this unassuming, little book of short poems packs a swift kick to the literary pants in two languages: English and Spanish. Truly, this book can only be enjoyed in the dim-lit hours of the night with a bottle of mescal. ¡Orale!

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Poetry—Poetry Book
Pages/Word count: 114 / 2,426

Codename: Parsifal by Martin Roy Hill

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MWSA Review

As World War II draws to a close in a dirty, rubble-strewn, chaotic way, orders from both the Germans and Americans send teams to recapture an artifact that Hitler stole from a museum in Austria (the head of the spear that pierced Jesus during his crucifixion). Himmler wants this relic. Patton wants this relic. And late in the game Stalin wants it as well, because the spear is reputed to have mystical powers. Compounding the difficulty in finding the actual Holy Roman treasure is the fact that Himmler has made several copies for both himself and Hitler.

The tale evolves with twists and turns in this historical novel that can also be considered a thriller. There are bad actors, wild goose chases, strange orders from generals, and realistic scenes of the war in its last throes. The daring acts of the American team, composed of OSS operatives and a historian, will engage readers right up to the very last word.

Review by Betsy Beard

 

Author's Synopsis

The Spear of Destiny. The Roman Legionnaire's lance that pierced Christ's body as he hung on the cross.

Legend claims whomever possesses it will become a great conqueror. But if they lose it, they will lose everything—including their lives.

Shortly before WWII, Hitler stole the spear from a museum in Vienna. In the last weeks of the European war, he lost it. General George Patton orders an American OSS team to find the spear and recover it. Unknown to the Americans, both the Russians and the Germans have also sent commando teams to retrieve it.

In the dying embers of Europe's largest conflagration, the three teams are on a collision course that will lead them to one of the most evil places on earth—the ideological heart of the Nazi SS.

Inspired by historical events.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Pages/Word count: 296 / 56,400

Crazyhorse: Flying Apache Attack Helicopters with the 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq, 2006–2007 by Daniel M McClinton

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MWSA Review

In 2007, the United States was embroiled in a war with Iraq. Dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), most of the U.S. only learned about this conflict by reading newspapers or watching the television news reports. However, many in the U.S. military were actually experiencing the events firsthand. In Crazyhorse: Flying Apache Attack Helicopters with the 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq, 2006 – 2007, author Daniel M. McClinton welcomes the reader into the world of an attack helicopter pilot during this conflict.

From the time of his deployment in 2006 through the surge in spring 2007 and finishing with his return home in the end of that year, McClinton paints a vivid picture of what life was like for a pilot in the midst of this war. Along with descriptions of actual combat missions, McClinton takes us into the mundane hours not spent flying missions. From filling out reports, to dealing with typical military bureaucracy, the author takes the reader into a world rarely experienced by others, including those in the military. The author has also supplied numerous personal color photographs of the helicopters and the Iraqi environment, enhancing the narrative of the book.

Especially of interest is the author's narrative of the death of two Reuters reporters and the wounding of two children on 12 July 2007. McClinton gives us not only his narrative of the events as they occurred, but also the reports from the inquiry into the reporters' deaths, along with the photographs that were included in the inquiry. As the author points out, most of the world only knew what was presented them by a press eager to spin their own biased narrative. The film, entitled Collateral Murder in Iraq by Wikileaks, paints a picture of warmongering pilots bent on murdering any Iraqi they could. However, as the author points out, and the video of the incident demonstrates, the enemy was well known to employ children as living bombs as well as human shields. Additionally, for reporters to embed themselves without any type of identification with enemy combatants and not expect potential harm is the height of hubris and arrogance.

Of additional interest is the author's in-depth depiction of military bureaucracy. With examples like "The Three Rules of Company Command or How to Get Ahead, without Really Doing Anything" (page 186) or "...field-grade officers who couldn't stand the thought of soldiers with nothing to do" (page 182), the inability of military command to grasp what life was really like for the soldiers in the field is well demonstrated to the amusement of the reader and the annoyance of the soldier.

One item of note is that this book is replete with army acronyms. While the author includes a glossary at the end of the book, the jargon used will slow down the reader who is not used to such language. This reviewer is a life-long civilian and was thoroughly encumbered by these terms. Having said that, the use of these terms is absolutely obligatory in any type of military essay. Despite this one potential concern, the book is well worth the read for an amazing look into what combat is really like for those valiant pilots fighting to protect the United States.

Review by Daniel E. Long
 

Author's Synopsis

This book describes aerial combat at the controls of the fearsome AH-64 Apache attack helicopter during the Operation Iraqi Freedom “Surge.”

This memoir reveals, for the first time, many stories of selfless service, courage, and sacrifice that will be compelling to all readers. At the same time, it also illustrates the absurdities that are involved with living in a massive bureaucracy like the US military. Also included are many original color photographs taken by the author in the combat zone.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 303 / 96,210

Forged in Fire: Grief, Purpose, and Devotion of a Woman at War by Robert L. Gangwere

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MWSA Review

Forged in Fire: Grief, Purpose, and Devotion of a Woman at War is a well-researched and memorable story of a midwestern girl learning much about herself when serving in WWII for the American Red Cross. One of the most endearing aspects is that the book is written by Blanche Barnes’s son, Robert L. Gangwere. His was not a casual retelling of a story, but one crafted over years of important interviews, laughs, love, and tears, which comes through well in the narrative shared with readers.

Through Blanche’s words and Gangwere's historical research, the book explains what most would never know about the challenges facing the young women who volunteered to serve their country overseas, supporting the American Red Cross Clubmobile Department. With very little training, these young women were launched into wartime environments to raise morale. And they were happy to do their part! Blanche speaks of the defeats seen on the faces of airmen and soldiers, the horrifying aftermaths of bombed out countries, and her personal fear from both the enemy and the men she supported.

I highly recommend this book, especially for anyone who wants to learn more about this era. The author sheds great light and much deserved gratitude to those who volunteered to serve their country in whatever way they could during WWII.

Review by Valerie Ormond

 

Author's Synopsis

Most American women of the 1940s did not attend college, learn to fly a plane, drive a 2 1/2 ton truck or a Sherman tank; or serve in war zones, but Blanche Barnes did before the age of 28.

"Forged in Fire" is a coming-of-age tale of a sheltered midwestern woman who, after suffering a sudden, heart-breaking loss, found something larger than herself that ultimately provided her a new purpose for her shattered life. The vehicle for this transformation was the American Red Cross's new and innovative overseas clubmobile program.

As a "clubmobile girl," Blanche served on multiple 8th Air Force air bases outside of Kettering, England, including Molesworth Airfield, the home of the famous 303rd Bombardment Group or "Hell's Angels," then she served on the continent at the Cigarette Camps located outside of Le Havre, France, and finally in war-torn Germany. Along the way she crossed paths with such notables as Medal of Honor winner Col. John "Killer" Kane, journalist Ernie Pyle, and U.S. generals George S. Patton, Jr., Omar N. Bradley, and Leonard T. Gerow, as well as movie actress Marlene Dietrich and the members of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. She also witnessed first-hand the destruction and tragedy of world war.

Forged in Fire expertly weaves Blanche's story in with the history of the clubmobile program, and how it raised the morale of America's fighting men. The backbone of the program was a cadre of well-educated, independent, and resolute women (such as Blanche) who served up coffee, doughnuts, and hope for the future to hundreds of thousands of war-weary, exhausted American GIs.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—History
Pages/Word count: 278 / 82,217

The Whispers of War by Sarah L. Peachey

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

An anti-war military child who longs for freedom. A career-Army father who can’t imagine being anything else. A long war bound to change them.

Fourteen-year-old Annaliese Pechman has always been a military child, but no one knows how she resents the frequent relocation or the long separations from her beloved father. After moving to Fort Drum, New York, she purchases a leather-bound journal to record her hopes and dreams under the watchful eye of her idol, Emily Dickinson. But Anna’s life changes on September 11, 2001, rinsing away her naivete and exposing the world’s harsh realities.

Anna’s father, Robert, deploys in October 2001 as part of the first conventional forces in Afghanistan, while Anna struggles to find her place in the constant change. But one thing rises above the noise: Anna’s disapproval of war and her father’s role in it. Two months before Robert deploys yet again, Anna basks in the success of her first anti-war protest, but Robert disapproves for reasons Anna can’t understand. When Robert suffers a grave injury, Anna places her future on hold, but more than physical recovery is at stake. Anna must decide whether family bonds are enough to heal the wounds of war, or if it’s time to walk away alone.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction
Pages/Word count: 274 / 103,000

Heroes, Holidays, and Hope (Vol.. 3) by Dania Voss, Megan Michelle, Laura M. Baird, Sharon Wray, D.C. Stone

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Sacrifice. Valor. Patriotism.

They fought courageously on the battlefield. Now they’re fighting for love.

We are a group of Veterans and Veterans' family members who are also bestselling and award-winning romance authors. We put our group together to publish a yearly limited edition, military romance collection set around various holidays. Each volume supports a military and veteran related charity.

We’re excited to bring you our third collection, which supports Wounded Warrior Project, whose mission is to empower wounded service personnel through programs and services such as long-term rehabilitative care, mental health care, and career counseling.

"Peace does not come just because we wish for it. Peace must be fought for." Lyndon Johnson, 1966. And so it is on Memorial Day that we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedom.

These stories embody sacrifice and resilience, passion and love, and the enduring human spirit. Enjoy these military romances of various tropes set around the Memorial Day holiday.

This “must have” collection is only available for 6 months after launch day, then it’s gone for good as we prepare for Volume 4!

Participating authors include Dania Voss, Laura M. Baird, D.C. Stone, Megan Michelle, and Sharon Wray.

Find us online and get all the details about the Heroes, Holidays, and Hope Project!

Website – https://www.heroesholidaysandhope.com
Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/hhhsupportersgroup
Merch store – https://bit.ly/HHHmerch
Wounded Warrior Project® – https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Romance
Pages/Word count: 681 / 156,400

Disgracefully Easy: A B-24 Pilot's Letters Home by William Hanchett with Thomas F. Hanchett

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MWSA Review

Disgracefully Easy: A B-24 Pilot's Letters Home by William Hanchett, with Thomas F. Hanchett, is a thoroughly entertaining first-person account of one's experiences in becoming a U.S. Army Air Force pilot during World War II. This is a book not written from memory, years later, but is a primary firsthand account that is candid and observant, giving the reader exacting insight into pilot training during the war.

What makes the book especially effective is the author's feelings. For example, he discusses how he disliked flying after being berated by overly bellicose instructors. That immediacy gives the narrative its strength. In one passage, Hanchett says, “Man has not changed for the last thousand years … and that we must learn that peace will come only when we cease to think of good and right in terms of just over nations, ourselves.”

Disgracefully Easy is exceptionally well laid out. This structure makes the letters easy to follow with sharp, definitive chapter introductions written by Thomas Hanchett. For readers interested in World War II history, especially the Army Air Corps, this is a valuable and compelling book. There are no heroics from bombing missions over Europe; instead, it tells the story of a frustrated pilot who wanted just that but understood his mission to train new pilots so they could carry on the mission. Highly recommended.

Review by James Bultema

 

Author's Synopsis

Long before William “Bill” Hanchett became a professor of history and a notable expert on Abraham Lincoln, he was a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. While telling a unique story of the Army Air Forces, Disgracefully Easy: A B-24 Pilot’s Letters Home is a book of correspondence which highlights Hanchett’s early writing, powers of observation and growing historical perspective. In addition to vivid first-person descriptions of flying, Hanchett’s letters and postal cards discuss the difficulties of a once wealthy family struggling to recover from the Great Depression.

From living as a recruit in a luxury beachfront hotel converted into barracks by the Army, to taking courses at a civilian college as an aviation student, to “bombing” the San Diego Naval Base in his future beloved home town, Bill Hanchett takes his family with him from basic training through advanced flying school where he hoped to be a hotshot fighter pilot, “dancing around the sky.” Instead, much to his chagrin, he was assigned as an instructor-pilot, teaching cadets from the rear seat of a BT-13 Valiant training airplane. He began to enjoy being an instructor, but as the war progressed and the flying school closed, Lieutenant Hanchett transitioned to become a four-engine bomber pilot in the fall of 1944, as the presidential election was well underway. Clearly expressed in his correspondence were Bill’s strong opinions about the divisive politics of that time, which usually conflicted with his father’s outlook.

Ultimately, in early 1945 Bill became responsible for training a bomber crew in the Nevada desert for an overseas assignment which never materialized because the war ended. While training his men hard, he became frustrated with what he viewed as pointless flying and concluded to his father that his service was “disgracefully easy” compared to others who saw combat. The chapter introductions and notes in Disgracefully Easy were prepared by Bill Hanchett’s son, Tom.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 308 / 94,928

Veteran Adventure Stories: Gregory Gadson by Stephanie Hennessy

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MWSA Review

Stephanie Hennessy, an Army veteran, has written a series of illustrated Veteran Adventure Stories. This one features Gregory Gadson.

Gregory begins his adventure as a little kid with big dreams. He’s strong, he runs really fast, and he never gives up. All through school he plays football and hopes to someday play professional football. But when it comes time to go to college, the only place he is invited to play is West Point, the United States Army Academy. This means he will be a soldier when he graduates. He is sent to Iraq, which is where the unthinkable happens. He is injured in a bomb blast. Despite losing his legs, he still wants to play football and uses the things he learned as a young kid to keep going, never giving up and working hard.

Gadson is an exemplary role model for children. Due to the nature of the material and some of the words (defined in a glossary in the back) the book is suitable for the older range of picture book readers (8-9). It's a great book to be read together with a parent Pages in the back of the book explain things like convoys and prosthetic legs. There are also activities that can be used for additional discussions.

Review by Betsy Beard

Author's Synopsis

Greg's biggest dream was to play football, but life had bigger plans.

From cheering crowds to real-life battles, Greg found courage and endured challenges that tested his strength and spirit. His journey is filled with adventure, bravery, and surprises at every turn.

Inspired by the true story of Colonel Gregory D. Gadson, a U.S. Army veteran, athlete, and leader, this beautifully illustrated children's book shows how dreams can come true in ways we never could have imagined.

Perfect for classrooms, libraries, and families, Veteran Adventure Stories: Gregory Gadson inspires young readers to face obstacles with heart, hope, and perseverance.

Part of the "Veteran Adventure Stories" series: real heroes, real adventures, and lessons that last a lifetime.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book
Pages/Word count: 32 / 915