Book picks similar to
Sammy Wong, All-American by Charley Rosen


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Widow Maker: A Novel of World War II


E.R. Johnson - 2012
    The B-26--dubbed Widow Maker by the press and the aircrews who flew her--was one of the most controversial aircraft produced in the United States during the war. These young men find themselves confronted not only with doubts about the airplane they are given to fly, but also the sometimes fatal choices made by a military organization unprepared to employ them in combat. Against the setting of World War II Europe, the heart and minds of these young men are revealed as they are forces to make a swift and frequently terrifying journey into manhood. The differences between them, seemingly irreconcilable at first, fade away as they form the ancient bond between men whose lives must depend upon one another in combat. But even after these young Americans make the transition into seasoned warriors, they are still faced with the grim reality that some of them will survive--and some will not.

The Mountain at the Middle of the World


Daniel Hylton - 2007
    It tells the story of Aram, a field-tender, the lowest order of slaves in the empire of Manon the Great, the grim lord of the world. Transported eastward from the plains to the fringe of mountainous regions upon the borders of the empire for the purpose of opening up new lands, Aram resolves to escape and become something of which, as the son of slaves for generations, he has no real concept - a free man. Seizing the unexpected opportunity provided by a sudden, fierce, and blinding thunderstorm, he escapes from the fields of his servitude and flees into the wild. Hunted by servants of the grim lord and by wild beasts alike, he delves ever deeper into the wilderness, seeking liberty. Desiring only his freedom and the chance to live at peace, he finds instead a destiny he did not seek, and becomes something much more than he ever imagined.

Secret Santa


Anne Osborn Poelman - 2000
    In the depths of the Great Depression, poor families like the Van Slotens are lucky to have a roof over their heads. Work is scarce, and there hasn't been enough of it to provide even the necessities, let alone a luxury like a holiday celebration. But when Tom, the oldest son, takes it into his head to provide a Christmas for his family, the stage is set for a story that will warm your heart and restore your faith in the true spirit of the season!

Mothers and Daughters


Leah Fleming - 2009
    Crete, present day. A woman anxiously awaits the arrival of someone who could change her life for ever…Lancashire, the 1950s. Three young girls make their way in a brave new post-war world. But can they escape the trappings of the past?Bookworm Connie dreams of university. Brought up on myths about her mysterious father, her life is turned upside down when she accidentally discovers the truth about him.Former ugly duckling Joy is determined to snare a man now she's finally a swan. Winning the "Miss Mercury" competition she bowls over local heart-throb Denny Gregson. But she quickly finds he's not all he seems…Convent-educated Rosa is a born rebel, desperate to flee the strict nuns for a life on the stage. But sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for…As all three girls face heartbreak and tragedy, can they learn from the mistakes of their mothers? Or will history repeat itself?For everyone who loves Maureen Lee and Maeve Binchy, this emotionally charged tale of that most special relationship of all will capture your heart.

Augusta Locke: A Novel


William Haywood Henderson - 2006
    Of his most recent novel, "The Rest of the Earth," Annie Proulx remarked that "Henderson writes some of the most evocative and transcendently beautiful prose in contemporary American literature." Set primarily in Wyoming, Henderson's new novel is the chronicle of six generations of a family, viewed through the lens of one woman's very long life. Augusta "Gussie" Locke is born in Minnesota in 1903. As a teenager she moves west with her mother to Colorado and then runs away from home. A one-night stand with a traveling soldier leaves her pregnant, and with her daughter, Anne, she eventually finds a life in Wyoming running supplies to oil and mineral crews in the Great Basin Divide. Through the years, Gussie keeps moving, abandoning people and places, being abandoned herself; Anne runs away just as her mother had, never to be seen again. Settling in the Wind River Range, Augusta, alone again, builds a new life until, years later, her grandson and great-granddaughter seek to discover the woman behind the family myth. Spanning the twentieth century, Augusta's extraordinary trials and tribulations play out themes of love and loss, redemption and reconciliation. Redolent with myth, humor, strange landscapes, and stark reality, "Augusta Locke" is an indelible portrait of a woman who through great spirit and toughness of character blazes her own trail.

The Governor II


Lynda La Plante - 1995
    It continues the story of Helen Hewitt, striving to be reinstated as prison governor in charge of a high security prison for men (she lost her job at the end of the first series).

Circumference of Silence


Jacquie Herz - 2021
    Her mother’s handwriting on the lined notepaper is so familiar, and the slight German accent Mali hears ticking through her words, so haunting. Mali reads the memories of her mother’s Jewish childhood in 1930s Berlin, then her life in war-torn London. But when she comes to her mother’s account of her too-early marriage and the divorce that forced her to leave her young daughter in London and go to New York, Mali is thrust back into her own unhappy childhood, where that relentless ache for her absent mother, lodged like a stony pit inside her, must now be reconciled.

The Herb Gatherers


Elizabeth Harris - 1991
     The tormented spirit of mysterious Alienor, a once beautiful young woman abandoned by her Crusader lover centuries ago, relentlessly follows him. In ways that he has never understood, Rafe is cursed by her powerful and obsessive love, which has endured across the ages, taunting him and visiting him in his dreams... Who is Alienor? What does she want? And what lengths will she go to seek her revenge? Yet Rafe is not the only one who is still suffering at the hands of Alienor’s wrath and when he agrees to take part in a séance whilst on holiday in Crete, he receives a message that changes his life forever. It leads him on a trail to the quiet Kent countryside and there, as if waiting for him, is Nell Gurney. Her resemblance to Alienor is uncanny and he is instinctively drawn to her. Initially oblivious to any growing danger, Nell and Rafe quickly become close, driven by a strange sensation that they already know each other. But someone else intrudes upon them in a horrifyingly intimate manner and tries to hint that identity is no longer a matter of personal choice... Beneath the cosy exterior of the cottage Nell shares with her father, there is a dark secret that has shaped the lives of the Gurney family for centuries. As the forgotten story of a scorned woman comes to life, Nell and Rafe are mirrors for a force that has the power to destroy them. When tragedy strikes, Rafe’s friend Stephen and a bewitching, chilling exploration into the practise of exorcism is their only hope... Praise for Elizabeth Harris ‘Enormously enjoyable … hard to put down. Elizabeth Harris writes with sensitivity and skill and a spine-chilling eye for the sinister’ - Barbara Erksine, author of Lady of Hay Elizabeth Harris was born in Cambridge and brought up in Kent, where she now lives. After graduation she hid a variety of jobs including driving a van, being a lifeguard and working in the Civil Service. She has travelled extensively in Europe and America, and lived for some years in the Far East. Elizabeth Harris was one of the finalists of the 1989 Ian St James Awards.

The Gloves: A Boxing Chronicle


Robert Anasi - 2002
    Robert Anasi took up boxing in his twenties to keep in shape, attract women, and sharpen his knuckles for the odd bar fight. He thought of entering "the Gloves," but put it off. Finally, at age thirty-two-his last year of eligibility-he vowed to fight, although he was an old man in a sport of teenagers and a light man who had to be even lighter (125 pounds) to fight others his size.So begins Anasi's obsessive preparation for the Golden Gloves. He finds Milton, a wily and abusive trainer, and joins Milton's "Supreme Team": a black teenager who used to deal guns in Harlem, a bus driver with five kids, a hard-hitting woman champion who becomes his sparring partner. Meanwhile, he observes the changing world of amateur boxing, in which investment bankers spar with ex-convicts and everyone dreads a fatal blow to the head. With the Supreme Team, he goes to the tournament, whose outcome, it seems, is rigged, like so much in boxing life today. Robert Anasi tells his story not as a journalist on assignment but as a man in the midst of one of the great adventures of his life. The Gloves, his first book, has the feel of a contemporary classic.

For the Sake of Her Family


Diane Allen - 2012
    Money is scarce and pride doesn't pay the doctor or put food on the table. Alice gets work at Whernside Manor looking after Lord Frankland's fragile sister Miss Nancy. Meanwhile Will and his best-friend Jack begin working for the Lord of the Manor at the marble mill. But their purpose there is not an entirely honest one. For a while everything runs smoothly, but corruption, attempted murder and mis-placed love are just waiting in the wings. Nothing is as it seems and before they know it, Alice and Will's lives are entwined with that of the Frankland's and nothing will ever be the same again.

American Blood


John Nichols - 1987
    American Blood is a timely and fiercely moral statement on violence and loss.

The Dockporter: A Mackinac Island Novel (Mackinac Island Series #1)


Dave McVeigh - 2021
    

The Curlew's Cry


Mildred Walker - 1994
    Descended from pioneers and the daughter of a rancher, Pamela lives according to her own script, and nothing seems to happen as expected. The world beats on—World War I, the influenza epidemic of 1917, the Great Depression—and local fortune rise and fall with the price of beef. For Pamela the fight that counts is defined by a sense of independence and pervasive loneliness, by the twists and turns of love and friendship.

Year of the Dog: A Novel


Shelby Hearon - 2007
    She flees to Burlington, Vermont, home of Aunt May, her mother's only living relative. There she adopts Beulah, a Labrador puppy in training to become a companion dog for the blind. Not for a moment does Janey suspect that this "year of the dog" will change her life forever.Shelby Hearon is an acknowledged master at illuminating the nuances of relationships. In Year of the Dog, she explores the surprising ways that the heart heals after a betrayal. While Janey is training Beulah, Beulah leads Janey to a new love, James Maarten, a smart, "fidgety" teacher they meet at the dog park. As Janey soon discovers, James has suffered a betrayal of his own that makes it hard for him to open up and trust her with even the smallest details of his past. While Janey tries to help James, she also reaches out to her enigmatic Aunt May, a retired librarian reputed to be the friend, perhaps even the lover, of popular mystery writer Bert Greenwood. When Janey attempts to solve the twin mysteries of why her great aunt has distanced herself from the family—and what her true relationship is with Bert Greenwood—Beulah provides the clues that lead Janey to uncover the secrets of her aunt's life. By the time Beulah's stay with Janey comes to an end, the people whose lives she's linked will discover that healing and reconciliation can come in the most unexpected ways.

All The Sweet Promises


Elizabeth Elgin - 1991
    The story of three young women as they enter the WRNS during World War 2 and of the men,British and American with whom they find love