Historical Fiction by Ethel Barker

Book Description

For the Andersen family, life on the family farm near the small Iowa town of Eden was like its namesake – paradise. They happily accepted a life of hard work and a marginal income. Living simply, they were grateful for what they had. Their joy in life grew from their faith, wholesome farm life, a strong work ethic, treasured traditions, and love for each other.

On December 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States entered the Second World War, life for the Andersen family changed overnight as young men went off to war. At home there was work to be done: jobs to be filled, planes to be built, scraps to be collected, and behind the scenes efforts to support war-related industries. Women, men too old or infirm to fight, old folks, children, neighbors and friends, all contributed on the home front hoping the war would soon be over and those they loved would return unharmed many did: some did not.

My Thoughts

This delightful book captures an Iowa farm family entangled in World War II. All four go off to serve, which sorely affects the family at home–waiting for letters, surviving the telegrams. The author has woven war news among farm chores and family anxieties, showing what those who were left behind went through.