I’ll Never Tell

About the Book

I’ll Never Tell is a work of historical fiction set during the war years between 1941 and 1945 on the ridges and in the valleys of Eastern Tennessee. Five young people from diverse backgrounds come together to tackle the mystery of a secret city—a so-called “shining city on the hill”—59,000 acres encircled by a barbed-wire fence and guards with guns. The government forced more than 3,000 people in five communities to give up their land, so that a pre-fab city called Oak Ridge could be built. Why did 75,000 workers pledge to keep total silence about what they were doing, promising “I’ll Never Tell?” And why was all this foretold forty years earlier? The novel follows Callie, Saree, Irene, Billy and Jeff as they seek answers to these and other puzzling questions.

About the Author

Helen Lavinia Underwood, a native of Huntsville, Alabama, has taught writing at both the secondary and college levels. For eighteen years, she served as Head of the English Department at Friends School, Baltimore, Maryland, and later taught English at Wesley College in Dover, Delaware. Earlier in her career, she taught at the American International School in Calcutta, India. Mrs. Underwood holds degrees from Martin Methodist College, Middle Tennessee State University, and Rutgers University. I’ll Never Tell is her fourth publishing venture. Mrs. Underwood’s first three novels, Under Cedar Shades, The House of Lakshmi Chattergee, and More Than the Eye Can See, continue to receive accolades. A published poet, she has also written numerous short stories. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her husband Joel. They delight in their three children and seven grandchildren.