2. On the day of her wedding, Anya woke from a vivid, recurring nightmare. How is this opening scene indicative of the struggles Anya faces as she begins her post-war life?
3. Why do you suppose English girls were so smitten with American soldiers? What other factors might have influenced the attraction? Would you have had the courage to marry a soldier from another country at such a young age and move to a distant land so different from your own?
4. Once he was back home, Danny had an awkward response from a neighbor who asserted her anti-war position. If you had been in Danny’s shoes, would you have said something or walked away? As a Christian, what would be the appropriate response? [*This actually happened to my father when he returned from the war. He was so angry, he walked away rather than say something he’d regret. He took great pleasure in reading Danny’s response!]
5. At school, Danny had several encounters with Beverly, his former college sweetheart. How should he have handled those encounters? What lessons did he learn?
6. In my research, I learned how often war-time marriages were destroyed by infidelity. Then, as now, some would say it’s just “human nature.” As Christians, we know it’s much more than that. Is there any way to end the epidemic of infidelity in a world that accepts it as the norm?
7. Unless you’re an avid baseball fan, you probably skimmed through those chapters surrounding the 1945 World Series. Still, most Americans know that Chicago Cubs fans are a loyal bunch. What is it about sports that captures the hearts of so many?
8. When Sophie was attacked behind the pub, Anya’s training as a Resistance fighter immediately kicked into action as she fought off the brute and almost killed him. But the realization of her ingrained reaction rocked her to the core. How does someone set aside those instincts after years of war?
9. When Danny returned from the war, he had several heart-to-heart talks with his father. For the first time, he began to understand his dad. How has the past shaped Frank’s life? How has he changed since the opening chapter in Of Windmills & War?
10. Like Frank, Gigi Williams also came from an abusive home. Anya was shocked to learn how much her friend had suffered, but it helped her understand Gigi in a whole new way. Is it possible to help someone overcome the life-wounds like those of Danny’s father or Anya’s friend Gigi?
11. The war shattered Anya’s faith. But gradually, she began to connect the dots between her mother-in-law’s prayers and the many obstacles in her path that were inexplicably overcome. Has God used the prayers of a friend or family member to draw you to Him? Have your own prayers made an “inexplicable” difference in someone else’s life?
12. We’ve all known “unique” folks like Cosmos. They can be annoying at times, but harmless. Some are invasive, causing you to duck when you see them coming. Others are more troubling. How do you handle these “irregular” people? [*On a side note, Cosmos’s character was based on a peculiar fellow who came to Dad’s 390th Bomb Group reunions year after year. The first time I met him, I started taking notes.]
13. What part of the story did you like best?
14. What was the most insightful part of the story?
15. Was there a scene that brought tears to your eyes?
16. What was the funniest scene?
17. What did you learn that you didn’t know before?
Resources
Barrett, Duncan and Calvi, Nuala. GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014.
Billington, Charles N. Wrigley Field’s Last World Series: The Wartime Chicago Cubs and the Pennant of 1945. Chicago, IL: Lake Claremont Press, 2005.
Childers, Thomas. Soldier From the War Returning: The Greatest Generation’s Troubled Homecoming from World War II. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.
Kaplan, Phillip, and Smith, Rex Alan. One Last Look: A Sentimental Journey to the Eighth Air Force Heavy Bomber Bases of World War II in England. New York: Artabras Publishers, 1983.
The Story of the 390th Bombardment Group (H). Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Company, 1947.
Virden, Jenel. Good-bye, Piccadilly: British War Brides in America. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1996.
Waller, Maureen. London 1945: Life in the Debris of War. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2004.
World War II Stories: 390th Bombardment Group (H) of the Eighth Air Force. Tucson, AZ: 390th Memorial Museum Foundation, Inc., 2008.
WWII: Time-Life Books History of the Second World War. New York: Prentice Hall Press for Time-Life Books, Inc., 1989.
Online Resources
Aldeburgh Museum Online. Retrieved from: http://www.aldeburghmuseumonline.co.uk/
Bert Wilson, Announcer, Chicago Cubs 1944-1945. Retrieved from:
http://www.bertwilsonchicagocubs.com/
The Billy Goat Curse: The World-Famous Billy Goat Tavern. Retrieved from: http://www.billygoattavern.com/legend/curse/
Buckingham Palace: History of London. Retrieved from the History Channel:
http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-london/buckingham-palace
Information Britain: The History of Aldeburgh. Retrieved from:
http://www.information-britain.co.uk/history/town/Aldeburgh6/
Kershaw, Sarah. Band of Sisters, New York Times, 6 July, 2008. Retrieved from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/nyregion/thecity/06brid.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0
London Can Take It. Documentary narrated by Quentin Reynolds, October, 1940. [Video file] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLgfSDtHFt8
London to Tidworth 1946. [Video file] Retrieved from:
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/london-to-tidworth
Queen Mary War Brides, as told by June Allen, September 22, 2014. [Video file.] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m8QtCSlEi8
The Rainbow Corner Red Cross Club in London, 1945. Retrieved from:
http://www.303rdbga.com/pp-rainbowcorner.html
Saving an Icon: The St. Paul’s Watch and a Flawed Hero. Retrieved from Blitzwalkers:
http://blitzwalkers.blogspot.com/2011/03/saving-icon-st-pauls-watch-and-flawed.html
St. Paul’s Cathedral History Timeline. Retrieved from:
https://www.stpauls.co.uk/history-collections/history/cathedral-history-timeline
The 1945 World Series by Baseball Almanac. Retrieved from:
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1945ws.shtml
War and the Abbey, 1939-1945. Westminster Abbey. Retrieved from:
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/war-damage
Women and War: War Brides. Retrieved from PortCities Southampton: http://www.plimsoll.org/SeaPeople/womenandthesea/womenandwar/warbrides.asp
WWII in Colour: The Battle of Britain and the Blitz Over London, April 16, 2010. [Video file]:
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euRlmTHpSCI
WW2 People’s War: An Archive of World War Two. Stories contributed by the Ipswich Museum. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/user/54/u901854.shtml
http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-london/ww2-the-blitz-hits-london
(click the title below for more information)
From Author Diane Moody
Of Windmills and War
The Runaway Pastor’s Wife
Blue Christmas
Blue Like Elvis
The Demise – A Mystery
Confessions of a Prayer Slacker
Tea with Emma
The Teacup Novellas (Book One)
Strike the Match
The Teacup Novellas (Book Two)
Home to Walnut Creek
The Teacup Novellas (Book Three)
At Legend’s End
The Teacup Novellas (Boo
k Four)
The Christmas Peril
The Teacup Novellas (Book Five)
The Teacup Novellas – The Collection
(All five Teacup Novellas)
Hale Hale the Gang’s All Here
A Family Cookbook
A Christmas Bundle of 3
Two Blue Novels
From Author McMillian Moody
Ordained Irreverence
Elmo Jenkins (Book One)
Some Things Never Change
Elmo Jenkins (Book Two)
The Old Man and the Tea
Elmo Jenkins (Book Three)
A Tale of Two Elmos
Elmo Jenkins (Book Four)
The Elmo Jenkins Trilogy
(The first three novels s in one volume)
Also available in paperback
The Elmo Jenkins Red Boxed Set
(Includes all four novels)
Evicting Erlene
An Elmo Jenkins Novelette
Hangin’ with Father Ted
An Elmo Jenkins Novelette
Tempting Harry
An Elmo Jenkins Novelette
Guarding Eddie
An Elmo Jenkins Novelette
The Elmo Jenkins Novelettes
All four novelettes in one volume
(Also available in paperback)