Homefront Heroine

About the Book

HE WROTE, SHE REMEMBERED – OUR HISTORY IS PRESERVED

Many letters have been preserved and published from the pens of those who have come to be known as part of the greatest generation. Breaking the common code of silence of these veterans has given us a glimpse of their painful, war-torn memories of World War II. Return letters going back overseas are not as readily available, since they could not be kept or stored by soldiers going into battle. I have endeavored to create a fictionalized story that portrays an analogous perspective from the many brave women who waited at home during those lonely years.

The story begins with Sara, a young girl, who marries her high school sweetheart a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor. “The day that will live in infamy” becomes a crucible for the couple as well as the rest of the country, as the United States becomes involved in a bloody world war that unexpectedly separates Sara from her husband for many years. At first Sara follows her new husband from base to base while he is stationed on the east coast, but eventually she must say good-bye when he is shipped overseas to prepare for the European invasion. Along with everyone else, Sara experiences food rationing and shortages of all kinds, all the while wondering if she will ever see her husband again.

About the Author

Jane Hagedorn has followed up her first book on Word War II, There’ll Come a Day, with a narrative version that reflects the lonely homefront from the perspective of those who waited, seemingly forever, for the return of their loved ones from overseas. In a departure in style from her earlier non-fiction work, Hagedorn’s second book is a work of fiction that seeks to portray the same poignancy of a people at war by showcasing a personal, homefront experience.