A purpose filled life
Non Fiction – Biography – WWII History
320 pages
Publication Date: 2004
A true American hero, Frances Slanger, was a Jewish girl who grew up in
Poland and lived through World War I until her immigration to the United States
at the age of seven. Striving to become
a nurse against her family’s wishes and then finally joining the military to
become part of the first nursing group to arrive on Normandy beach, Frances
Slanger always believed that she had something to contribute, a purpose to
fulfill. She survived the daily
hardships of war as a nurse at the 45th Field Hospital and became
the voice of a grateful nation when she wrote an unforgettable letter to the Stars and Stripes newspaper honoring the
soldiers serving in the European Theatre.
Unfortunately she was killed the next day after mailing the letter by
German shells.
A mesmerizing true story so engrossing and vivid that even knowing the
end my heart still hurt to read those final chapters. This story is a fitting tribute to not only
Frances Slanger and her sacrifice, but to all of those clinging to hope during
that horrific time. Frances Slanger was a fighter who believed in a God given purpose and actually did something about
it. This is a celebration of a humble woman who believed she had
little to give, but gave it willingly.
This is a story not just anyone could write about. Bob Welch has a special gift; giving a soul
to this story and not merely recounting a series of events. His writing of the unadorned, and at times
horrific, reality has a gritty edge to it, which is able to convey the
seriousness of the situations without being completely off putting for the
reader. Not a very easy balancing act,
but Welch manages it perfectly. He
lightens the load with the graceful interweaving of Slanger’s story and history
with other accounts to give dimension and put the reader directly in the action. Welch also makes great use of Frances Slanger’s
own writing; insight into her thoughts feelings and character gives an intimate
understanding of her goals and struggles.
Frances Slanger was a woman who was grateful to give. A woman who believed she could make a
difference just by caring. A woman who
heard a call to serve others and answered.
I have older relatives who lament how bad the world has gotten. Who talk about the “old days” with longing
and nostalgia. I can’t agree with them. I’ve read enough history to know there
haven’t really been the good old days. WWI,
WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the cold war, the fight for equality on all levels, these
aren’t exactly peaceful things let alone everything going on in people’s lives
on a smaller scale. The landscape of the
world changes, our idea of who the “enemy” is changes, but really we still fight
the same things. The real enemy is still
there though the face may look different; indifference, greed, hatred, treating
others as less than God made them. I
think the fight rages on person by person, heart by heart.
We love stories like Frances Slanger because we love the idea of meaning
in life, but more than sitting back and enjoying a good story it should inspire
us to find our own purpose. To find our
own way of making the world a better place, to find a cause and take up our own
fight.
ISBN 0743477596 (ISBN13:
9780743477598)
A real life hero’s tale.
