Love and Kisses, Charlie: WWII LETTERS FROM A JEWISH-AMERICAN SERVICEMAN
What do you write home to your Jewish mother when you’re in the middle of fighting a global war unlike anything before or since? If you’re Charlie Fletcher, you give near-daily updates covering all kinds of details of life. Fletcher’s letters, which were sent to his mother, father, and sister, reveal a personal side of life during wartime for one soldier training in the U.S. and then marching through Europe. His devotion to Jewish culture, holidays, and community comes shining through in this trove of correspondence. These letters are a great resource for those of us trying to understand the experiences of the Jewish-American soldier in World War II.
TWO GOOD MEN
Two Good Men begins as a tragedy when two young fathers are killed within a two-week period. The book quickly becomes a heart-warming and inspirational story as the surviving families become neighbors, and the two young boys, Manny and Kenny, become inseparable best friends. With the love and direction of Manny’s grandfather, a retired Marine, the boys develop a sense of character and personal responsibility well beyond their years. When the boys go off to college together, they become indignant over the deceit of the football coach. After agreeing to leave college, they decide to join the Marine Corps, which everyone has always known was Manny’s life-long dream. After boot camp, Manny and Kenny are assigned to Camp Pendleton, California. During a weekend liberty the boys visit Disneyland where they meet two attractive cousins. Kenny falls hard for Suzy and Manny thinks Lori is very nice. The two couples grow closer but their relationships are cut short when the boys deploy to Vietnam where Kenny is severely wounded.