We Had A Job To Do

It isn't hard as an American to appreciate the freedoms we often take for granted and simply forget that such freedoms were not free, but were the result of the ultimate price paid for by the service men and women who served in this nations armed forces. Being a child of both parents who were veterans in the war as well as a grandfather who played a part in WWII, I find myself drawn to those brave men and women who served without considering the sacrifices that would be required of them, and one I feel is vastly missing from our citizens today, to appreciate those who continue to fight for the freedoms we still have in this country.

In Thereas Anzaldua's book, We Had A Job To Do, she has compiled a vast history of those who played a part in WWII and the stories that each had to tell about how they summed up their military careers and what their role did in helping us through those difficult years. From the onset of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, many men simply looked to the military as a way to find self worth when all the jobs were not available until we entered the war on December 7, 1941 with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This book chronicles the lives of those like B-25 bomber pilots on the US Hornet, to the role women played as the first WACs and WAVES, from the Navajo Code Talkers to the to the Tuskegee Airman, from how the Douglas Plant was Camouflaged to the inspiration of the talents of such notables as Glenn Miller, there is something for everyone in this book.

The only issue I had with the layout of this book was as you began with one person's story, the chapter would end and ask you to head to a later chapter to continue their story, this made for a huge disconnection for me, trying to flip all over the book to keep the continuity of the person's life I was following. I believe the authors intent was to keep the timeline's current and as the person's life continued later it was if you picked them back up later in the war years. For me, it would have benefited the reader more if they simply stayed with one particular person's story until that came to a conclusion, but that is my only critique of the book. This was well thought out and love that you can see things in the life of so many different varieties of the people who served in the war efforts of WWII.

I received We Had A Job To Do by Theresa Anzaldua compliments of iRead Book Tours for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. I love that this is filled with such a variety of stories because it takes you into the heart of the various people, nationalities and service groups that helped make the war a success and not only that how they attempted to go back after they served their time, it wasn't always an easy transition. I guess my favorite is the women's role not in the Rosie the Riveters but in the women who served, not only as nurses, but as pilots as well. For me, this one was a 4 out of 5 stars simply based on the confusing layout but love that images accompany each chapter highlighting these brave men and women and also those times when we truly had a sense of patriotism and valued our service men and women. I think this does a great job at honoring them and the jobs they had to do.

For more information about We Had A Job To Do, Theresa Anzaldua or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

We Had A Job To Do by Theresa Anzaldua

You can find Theresa Anzaldua on Facebook to keep up to date on more war stories she shares on her page.

To read more reviews on We Had A Job To Do, please visit iReads Book Tour page and take part in the giveaway that is being hosted as well.

The Splendor of Ordinary Days

I have learned a lot of these past years about some genre's of novels I thoroughly enjoy, they are the ones like you will find in Jeff High's Watervalley Series. It conveys the creation of a small town where quite literally everyone knows not only your name, but it is hard to keep secrets in a town like Watervalley, Tennessee. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to review, The Splendor of Ordinary Days, the third novel in this series. Along the way with each novel, you get an deeper look at some of the town's residents and in this case it is with Dr. Luke Bradford, the town's doctor who has slowly fallen in love with Christine Chambers, a schoolteacher. The best part of their relationship is the determination to discuss how they feel in regards to trying to keep things pure until they become married and I believe that is why this works so well. It is honest, heart-felt and you feel that the characters you meet in this novel are more than just fictional characters, these are real people.

When you pick this one up, Dr. Bradford still has not popped the question to Christine, partially because he wants things just perfect and he wants to make sure that the timing is right for both of them, not merely pressure from the residents in town to marry the poor girl. I love that they simply spend their nights sitting on the porch underneath the skies and talk about the things both in their past and hopes for the future. It seems to be the missing component in today's relationships, taking the time to truly getting to know one another before rushing into things. Part of what I truly love about this novel in particular is the characters of Luther Whitmore and Leland Carter. Both very different but have a sense of something more to them that draws you in wanting to know more about their story.

Luther is the owner of the town's newspaper and isn't afraid to take his personal opinions on anything pertaining to the town and publish them. In fact, he is one of the town's most grumpiest elderly men and also owns Moon Lake, but has erected a fence around the whole thing and no one is allowed in. In fact, Luther is so unfriendly, the signs posted on his front porch are enough to keep almost everyone away including any door to door sales like Girl Scouts. But Dr. Bradford begins to uncover clues from their brief conversations that he wonders if there is truly more to Luther than simply the willingness to be all alone. Perhaps somewhere deep in that hard heart was once a man who loved deeply but lost everything he truly cared about through a series of circumstances. Will Dr. Bradford be able to figure it out? Only time will tell and that is what makes this novel so worth reading.

I received The Splendor of Ordinary Days by Jeff High compliments of New American Library and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest review and the opinions contained here are my own personal ones. I love the coming together of the community in regards to how they honor their veterans, not only those who died while serving in the various wars but also those who are alive and continue to pay the ultimate price with what they have to deal with on a daily basis. It seems that is what is missing in most towns in this country is the love of our military and also the ability to come together as communities when the need arises. Perhaps that is why I love small town novels like this one, because it gives readers an idea of how wonderful life can be when we all work together, and thus the need to rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. I can't wait to go back and read the first two novels in the series to learn more about the amazing people who live in Watervalley!

For more information about The Splendor of Ordinary Days, Jeff High or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Splendor of Ordinary Days by Jeff High

You can find Jeff High on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Splendor of Ordinary Days, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.

When several military veterans’ emotional wounds trigger anger and unrest in Watervalley, Dr. Luke Bradford learns some important lessons in service, courage, love, and sacrifice in The Splendor of Ordinary Days by Jeff High. As Luke struggles to understand Vietnam War veteran Luther’s past, and restore harmony in Watervalley, an unforeseen crisis shatters a relationship he values dearly.

Join Jeff in celebrating the release of The Splendor of Ordinary Days with a Kindle Fire HD 6 giveaway!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• Signed copies of all three Watervalley books
• A Kindle Fire HD 6

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 27th. The winner will be announced October 28th on Jeff's blog.