Wings Like a Dove by Camille Eide tells of harsh times in our nation’s history when bigotry ruled in the name of moral justice.
“We will never have unity as long as people demand sameness. Unity is not sameness, but oneness of purpose. But whose purpose.”
This story takes place in the 1930’s when almost everyone was poor and jobs were scarce.
Anna Leibowicz is forced to flee her life in New York City through a humiliation she brought on herself. She starts out for Chicago in search of her father, who has been missing for six years. She is led to a small town in Indiana where she finds work as a tutor for six orphaned boys in exchange for room and board until she can resume her journey.
She is making progress with her students and coaxing a small, mute black boy to speak, but she is wary of making friends. As soon as the town finds out she is a Jew, she is ostracized along with Sam, the black child.
This story is raw, it is real, it doesn’t shy away from hard things and yet it is filled with compassion and Grace.
“Will not all need mercy at some time in our lives? Mercy we do not deserve? It is a precious gift and yet it is free. Forgiveness and mercy are always possible because they are gifts from God.”
“If love is genuine, then compassion must follow, because compassion is the most basic act of love.”
“If ultimate love is found in the ultimate sacrifice, then I will consider what the cross of Christ truly means.”
This story holds eternal truths that have applications yet today. In my opinion, Ms. Eide has done a superior job of giving us much to think about and apply to our own lives.
*I received a complimentary ebook from WhiteFire Publishers on behalf of the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*
KIM'S REVIEW:
One of my favorite books is The Memoir of Johnny Devine by Camille Eide. So I was really excited to read Wings Like a Dove. This story is set in 1933. With the presence of the Klan, there is a lot of bigotry, hate, and heartbreak in this story. But, there is also a lot of hope, love, and forgiveness.
I was drawn into this story from the first page and even when I wasn’t reading, I kept thinking about the characters. The things that Anna and Samuel go through will make your heart ache. I really loved Anna and her resilience and how she always made the best of her circumstances. I especially loved her relationship with Samuel. Thomas was a wonderful character. I love how he had taken in the boys to keep them from having to go to an orphanage. He truly showed the love of Christ.
This story is both heartbreaking and beautiful - a story you won’t want to miss.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
WINNIE'S REVIEW:
“We will never have unity as long as people demand sameness. Unity is not sameness, but oneness of purpose. But whose purpose? Who gets to decide?”
Camille Eide’s poignant and heart-wrenching story, Wings Like a Dove, swept me away and kept me riveted to the end. Set in 1933 when times were especially hard economically throughout America, this tale brought out not only the problems of poverty, but also those of racism and intolerance. Masterfully written and populated with colorful, layered characters, this is a story I won’t soon forget. Its rich imagery and impeccable historical detail, combined with tender messages of forgiveness, grace, and mercy touched my heart.
“Will we not all need mercy at some time in our lives? Mercy we do not deserve? It is a precious gift, and yet it is free. Everyone has the power to give it.”
The main characters, Thomas Chandler and Anna Leibowicz, endured much in their pasts, yet come together to try to help 6 orphaned boys. I loved Thomas’s kind, compassionate heart and Anna’s willingness to help others who were suffering, even though she had problems of her own. Samuel, one of the orphaned boys, was one of my favorite characters. He had wisdom beyond his years and had been traumatized over and over, yet his resiliency touched my heart. Anna’s friend Sarah was another favorite. Her courage and strength were inspiring. We all need a friend like Sarah in our lives.
This quote has a wonderful message for everyone.
“I think people dislike those they do not know because they cannot see the good in others. What if we choose instead to be blind to people’s flaws and shortcomings, and the differences we do not understand?”
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys excellent historical fiction. It has earned a place on my list of top reads of the year.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
BackCover Blurb:
Can the invisible walls that separate people ever come down?
In 1933, Anna Leibowicz is convinced that the American dream that brought her Jewish family here from Poland is nothing but an illusion. Her father has vanished. Her dreams of college can’t make it past the sweat-shop door. And when she discovers to her shame and horror that she’s with child, her mother gives her little choice but to leave her family. Deciding her best course of action is to try to find her father, she strikes out…hoping against hope to somehow redeem them both.
When Anna stumbles upon a house full of orphan boys in rural Indiana who are in desperate need of a tutor, she agrees to postpone her journey. But she knows from the moment she meets their contemplative, deep-hearted caretaker, Thomas Chandler, that she doesn’t dare risk staying too long. She can’t afford to open her heart to them, to him. She can’t risk letting her secrets out.
All too soon, the townspeople realize she’s not like them and treat her with the same disdain they give the Sisters of Mercy—the nuns who help Thomas and the boys—and Samuel, the quiet colored boy Thomas has taken in. With the Klan presence in the town growing ever stronger and the danger to this family increasing the longer she stays, Anna is torn between fleeing to keep them safe…and staying to fight beside them.
Oh, that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest…
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Thank you, ladies, for your reviews. I haven't found much in the way of the depression era so this one caught my attention.
ReplyDeleteSounds as if this is going to be a book that I'll enjoy.
Thanks again!