Grief and loss are part of our daily lives and also part of America's past history. During WWII families experienced devastating losses of family members. My historical fiction series reveals the losses and hardships thousands of Japanese Americans in the United States were forced to endure during their time in prison camps in United States and the years following their release. In the review of On Liberty's Wings: A Post-WWII Novel, the third novel in my historical fiction series, Diane Donovan, Senior, Editor at Midwest Book Review, describes the challenges and hardships Japanese Americans continued to endure after the war.
On
Liberty’s Wings: A Post-WWII Novel, book 3 of the Courageous
Footsteps series continues the story of Yasu, who is now married and
leading a new life in the aftermath of World War II, which landed her family in
a Japanese internment camp and resulted in the death of her beloved brother.
How does one recover to lead a new life in the
aftermath of such soul-wrenching disaster? That's one of the keys to
understanding the determined, feisty Yasu's process as she faces a changed
world and life, including a new teaching job and expanding opportunities, even
as her husband Masato struggles to pursue a degree and faces losing his job to
an experienced, returning war vet.
Especially notable as Yasu's story evolves is the
ongoing impact of World War II on daily American life and perceptions post-war,
and the prejudice against the Japanese which continues to permeate American
society; something too many post-War stories omit: "My father—Leona’s
grandfather—served during World War two. He was stationed in the Pacific and
witnessed many horrible things done by Japanese soldiers. He does not want his
precious granddaughter in your class.”
At different points along the way, Masato and Yasu
face decisions about how they should lead their lives honorably ("Hey,
I know how important your engineering degree is. Why didn’t you let me help?”
Masato shrugged his shoulders and said to his friend Myron, “I appreciated your
offer, but when I thought about it, I knew I had to earn my degree honestly.
Otherwise what’s the point?”), and this adds to the overall theme of
recovery and choices that lead in positive directions.
Readers who have followed Yasu's evolution in
previous books will especially appreciate these threads of change which force
these characters to consider new actions, reactions, and consequences of their
behaviors even as society changes and evolves around them.
Many novels focus on the Japanese internment camp
experience; but far fewer continue the story to document the ongoing challenges
faced by the Japanese as they - and American society - recovers in the
aftermath of war. The different forms of prejudice that continue to complicate
her life, even for something as simple as a real estate transaction ("The
couple refused to even consider buying a house that Japanese people lived in.
You will have to find another realtor. I’m taking this house off my selling
list."), are especially revealing and powerfully portrayed.
The themes of forgiveness, choice, prejudice, and
achievement that run through Book 3 of the series paint a powerful portrait of
family relationships, stress, cooperative efforts, and change. All this is set
against the backdrop of daily life and goals, making for a realistic and
involving feel that immerses readers in both Yasu's evolution and her family's
recovery.
While the story stands nicely alone as an individual
piece, when read in the wider context of Yasu's life, it serves as yet another
jigsaw puzzle piece creating the bigger picture of the World War II experience.
Especially when taken as an integral part of this blossoming series, it is
recommended for mature teens to adult readers seeking far more psychological
depth and social inspection than the usual focus on the Japanese experience in
America during the War.
Reviewer, Diane Donovan, captures the essence of On Liberty’s Wings, in her review.
“The themes of forgiveness, choice, prejudice, and
achievement that run through Dettmann’s On
Liberty’s Wings, paint a powerful portrait of family relationships, stress,
cooperative efforts, and change. All this is set against the backdrop of daily
life and goals, making for a realistic and involving feel that immerses readers
in both Yasu's evolution and her family's recovery.
While the story stands nicely alone as an
individual piece, when read in the wider context of Yasu's life, it serves as
yet another jigsaw puzzle piece creating the bigger picture of the World War II
experience. Especially when taken as an integral part of this blossoming
series, it is recommended for mature teens to adult readers seeking far more
psychological depth and social inspection than the usual focus on the Japanese
experience in America during the War.”
The books in the award winning series are available online on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in e-book and paperback and in many independent bookstores. Books can also be ordered at Barnes Noble Bookstores in your area. Informative reads for young adult and adult readers. Excellent resources for high school libraries. More information at http://www.outskirtspress.com/liberty
