True History from Victory Heights

Victory Square: Chapter 1 of Victory Heights opens with Rosalie racing through Victory Square in downtown Seattle.

With one end modeled after the Washington monument and the other after Thomas Jefferson's house, Montecello, Victory Square was a focal point for Seattle’s World War II homefront. They'd have rallies, bond drives, and live entertainment. It was located on University Street, between 4th and 5th avenues in front of the Olympic Hotel, the monument also listed the names of Washington state citizens who lost their lives during the war.

Photo from www.historylink.org

Book Club Discussion Questions for Love Finds You in Victory Heights

Are you in a book club? Love Finds You in Victory Heights offers lots of discussion possibilities. I've created a list of questions to help get the the dialog hopping.

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, WA
Book Club Discussion Questions

1. Would you be willing to leave your “normal” life and take on a factory job? What would be the challenges and benefits?

2. What are some sacrifices the folks on the home front made during World War II as depicted in the book? What challenges did they face? How do you think today’s society would respond if asked to make similar sacrifices?

3. Morale in World War II was propelled by propaganda. Can you come up with any examples of this? Do you think this was a proper way to rally support for the war effort? How would our culture respond to such propaganda today?

4. What did you learn about American history?

5. Throughout the book, tragedies of war invade the characters’ lives: Vic’s death, Kenny’s father’s injury, etc. Which of these glimpses most brought home to you war’s painful reality and why?

6. How did individuals from that era deal with their grief? How do we handle pain today? What are the similarities and/or differences?

7. The book displays many snapshots of life in the 1940s. Which scene most vividly depicts this for you? What aspects do you like best? Which are you glad we’ve moved past?

8. What are some acts of Christian friendship shown by Rosalie and Birdie?

9. Tilly becomes Rosalie’s Christian mentor in the book. Describe a mentoring relationship you have, either as mentor or student.

10. Both Rosalie and Kenny struggled with striving to “earn” approval from others and ultimately God. Can you think of examples of this from the book?

11. Have you ever struggled to earn acceptance rather than rest in unconditional love?

12. How did Rosalie and Kenny finally resolve this?

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, WA THE DAY HAS COME!

To mark this exciting day, I'm returning to Rosie the Riveter. Our character Rosalie is a riveter for Boeing in Seattle making B-17 bombers. I dedicated my part of the book to all the Rosies:

"To the Rosie the Riveters of World War II who left the comfort of their homes to brave strenuous and unfamiliar jobs in the national pursuit of victory. Your strong arms played a mighty role in preserving the freedom we now enjoy."

The Rosies signed a Victory Pledge.

"Realizing my importance as a Victory worker to my country and its cause, I solemnly pledge that to the utmost of my ability I will: Allow nothing to keep me from my job; Make the fullest productive use of time, tools, material; Use my ingenuity to develop shortcuts speeding vital output; Guard my own health and safety and that of my fellow workers; Co-operate with our Employee-Management war production drive committee to aid my departmet and my plant in producing on time and in plenty the weapons of Victory."

Pretty awesome. What else can I say?

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, WA COUNTDOWN 1 More Day!!!!

Letters were a huge part of life in the War years. Just imagine the thrill of tearing open that letter from your loved one stationed abroad, knowing he's okay, learning about his life and thoughts. For a soldier, one sweet letter from his girl would remind him why he's fighting, bring a glimmer of joy. No wonder they called it V-mail. Victory Mail.

Here's an excerpt from a letter (shown above) written from a husband to his wife and new baby. Very poetic language.


1 Nov 45

My Precious Darlings;

Yes, my Darling I see you now like a far away beacon which I must reach in order to survive - so total in my eyes and mind like blindness and insanity. When we are together again we will have fun - drink and laugh - see a beautiful movie and let it take us away completely - we will joke and laugh and enjoy ourselves proper; but our dreams will once again come true, I will live within you and you within me. Our love will be rapturous and serene and you will be so beautiful to me -beauty untouched by worldly things. Only you, my beloved, in all this whole magnificent world.

News hasn't reached me yet concerning discharge or shipment. Perhaps next week, pray god. I love you both so very much.

My Love and Kisses
Herb xxo Daddy xxo

Here's the link to a hundreds of war letters. Many are more down-to-earth than this one! (And be careful, some of the ads are questionable.)


Finally, don't forget our soldiers serving today need letters too.

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, WA COUNTDOWN 2 More Days!

O History! 1940s slang always makes me chuckle. Here's one. "Keep company." Know what it means??? Dating or going steady. "That G.I.'s keeping company with Betty." They also used to say, "Are you rationed?" Can you guess the meaning? A soldier might say it to a girl, asking if she was attached or taken. Sort of a 1940s pick-up line. Love how it hones in on a big thing going on at the time--rationing!

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, WA COUNTDOWN! 9 More Days!

Newsflash! GOVERNMENT FREEZES ALL SALES OF COFFEE! Gasp! Can you imagine? This really happened in October of 1942. Coffee addicts were hoarding their grounds, so the gov put a stop to it! Then the rationing began--1 lb. per person every 5 weeks. Oh, it was a dark time.

So what was a person to do if they couldn't get their coffee? The Black Market! Yup, organized crime began counterfeiting ration books and coupons. I suppose folks REALLY needed their coffee (I can kinda sympathize!). Another option if you NEEDED coffee was the delicious re-brewing idea. Save those grinds, you could use them for tomorrow's java. (Bluck!) Also, those who were getting married or having birthdays could always request coffee coupons for their gifts.

Hmm...I'm off to Starbucks. All this coffee talk is making me thirsty.

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, WA COUNTDOWN! 10 More Days!

"He's the bee's knees!" In the 1940s and earlier this (and even more bizarre phrases like it) meant "the best, most excellent." I've mostly seen these quirky terms squealed in old movies by silly girls about boys they think are cute--or bellowed by fellows: "Why, that girl's the cat's pajamas." Ha ha! I love it. Maybe we should revive these quaint old sayings. They're so much more clever than, "he's hot" or "you da man."

However, the other ones I found with the same meaning might not catch on today:

Cat's Whiskers
Flea's Knees
Cat's Meow
Eel's Ankle
Elephant's Instep
Snake's Hip
Kipper's Nippers
Sardine's Whiskers

Can't imagine calling someone, the eel's ankle. Maybe I'll stick with the bee's knees.

See you tomorrow!

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, WA COUNTDOWN! 11 More Days!

In honor of our July 1 book release, I'm posting a World War II fact every day.

With Father’s Day tomorrow, I thought I’d talk about my dad, Jim Howard. He passed away back in 2002, receiving a veteran’s funeral for his service in WWII and the Korean War. My dad was in the Navy during WWII serving on a fuel supply ship. According to him, he was with the American fleet on the way to invade Japan when they got word that the War was over. He said there was lots of drinking and celebrating, as you can imagine. Dad wasn’t overly proud of his service, didn't talk about it much. But it was pretty awesome when the elderly soldier saluted his casket and handed my brother—also a veteran—the flag.

I sometimes think about how blessed my dad was to make it home safe from his tours of duty, so many dads didn’t. I imagine the kids who spent Father’s Days without their daddies. And how many are today?

Let’s remember those fathers who’ve sacrificed their lives for our freedom, and also the one’s serving in the hot desert while we barbecue and enjoy our families.

One way to remember our troops is to pray for them. I start by praying for those I know personally or who have relatives I know. Then I say a general prayer for all the troops. And, especially today, I'll pray for the families as well.

Another way to support the troops is to write to them. Here's a SUPER easy and free way. It literally takes less than two minutes. It's a Web site called, Let's Say Thanks

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, WA COUNTDOWN 12 More Days!

One last Rosie the Riveter tidbit. A famous picture of Rosie by Norman Rockwell appeared on the Saturday Evening Post. Big arms, rivet gun--her foot even rests on Hitler's Mein Kampf. After this, Rosie became popular as an icon, and more women worked in the factories. Over 40,000 B-17 bombers were built. The "Army at Home" (what they called the war workforce) really did their job!