Hana was just three weeks old when the Americans arrived, and she was very ill. The filthy conditions had given her a skin infection, and sores covered her tiny body. No one expected her to live. Yet one of the medics saw the small baby and knew he had to do something. Even though it took most of the day, he lanced and cleaned all of Hana’s sores, saving her life. Over the years she’d wanted to find the medic but didn’t know where to start.
I was amazed by Hana’s story and told her I knew one medic. Maybe he remembered who that man was. I gave Hana his contact information and soon heard the good news. My friend LeRoy “Pete” Petersohn was the medic who’d saved her life! The two were soon reunited. After all these years Hana was able to look into the eyes of the man who saved her and to thank him. After all these years Pete was able to meet the woman he saved. “Baby!” he called out when he met her.
Eighty-first Medical Battalion vehicle on the snowy road to Houffalize
In the ten years since I began interviewing these veterans, most have passed away. Some of them—realizing their days on earth were coming to an end—returned to Europe one last time with their family members to walk along paths they’d never forgotten. Those trips inspired this novel.
Remembering You is a work of fiction, but the experiences of the men are true. The experiences of Ava are also true-to-life. I was busy with life when God pointed me to an amazing story and to even more amazing men. I’m so thankful I took time to listen and care. I’m so thankful I allowed these men to share what—and whom—they remembered most.
Thankful for those who’ve come before us,
Tricia Goyer
Questions for Discussion
1. What are some of the major themes of this book?
2. Do you have a family member who served in World War II? Does this novel change your thoughts about his or her experiences? In what way?
3. What is one thing you learned about World War II that surprised you?
4. How did the war affect Grandpa Jack and Grand-Paul? Do you think those effects are typical among World War II veterans?
5. Throughout the book Ava wants to help Grandpa Jack reconnect with someone he met during the war. Would you have done the same thing as Ava? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the story would have been different if it had been written from Grandpa Jack’s point of view?
7. If you were to meet a World War II veteran, what questions would you ask?
8. Have you ever been to Europe? How does your view of Europe change when seeing it through the eyes of veterans who fought there?
9. What is unique about the relationships in this novel? Which relationship touched your heart the most?
10. How does the relationship between Ava and Grandpa Jack change or evolve through the course of this story?
11. Do you think Ava made the right choice in opening her heart to Dennis?
12. How was Ava and Dennis’s relationship different the second time around?
13. How do the characters change spiritually? Do you find those changes to be realistic?
14. What is the one thing that’s lingered with you after you put down this book?
15. Have you read some of the author’s other books? How is this story similar? How is it different?
About the Author
TRICIA GOYER is an award-winning author of fourteen novels, many of them set during the World War II era. She has interviewed more than one hundred war veterans to make her stories come alive for her readers. Among her published historical novels are Night Song, which won ACFW’s 2005 Carol Award for Long Historical Romance, and Dawn of a Thousand Nights, which won the same award in 2006. She has also authored nine nonfiction books and more than three hundred articles for national publications. In 2003, Tricia was one of two authors named “Writer of the Year” at the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference, and she has been interviewed by Focus on the Family, Moody Mid-Day Connection, The Harvest Show, NBC’s Monday Today, Aspiring Women, and hundreds of other radio and television stations. Tricia and her husband, John, have four children and live in Arkansas.
Table of Contents
Title
Copyright
Praise for Tricia Goyer's Remembering You
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Author's Notes
Questions for Discussion
About the Author