Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Milspouse Matters: Sharing Strength Through Our Stories is a work of non-fiction in the memoir, military life, and inspirational writing subgenres. It is suitable for the general adult reading audience. Penned by author Jen McDonald, this inspiring work offers an empowering exploration of military spouse life, highlighting the resilience and dedication of these often overlooked individuals. Through beautifully crafted narratives, McDonald illuminates the challenges and triumphs faced by military spouses, providing readers with a profound insight into a life marked by constant change and sacrifice. With heartfelt stories and poignant reflections, this book celebrates the strength and fortitude of military spouses, offering a beacon of hope and understanding for those navigating similar paths.

Author Jen McDonald has crafted a unique work where heartfelt storytelling and genuine empathy shine through on every page, offering readers a poignant glimpse into the unique challenges faced by these unsung heroes. McDonald's ability to weave together personal anecdotes, historical perspectives, and contemporary insights creates a rich tapestry of experiences that resonates deeply with readers, and I felt that the book had a natural flow and a great organization to slowly develop an overall tapestry of support and strength. As I delved into the many interesting narratives shared in this book, I was struck by the unwavering strength and determination of military spouses across generations. I thought that McDonald did a great job of showcasing historical changes, attitude shifts, and how world events affect the role of a spouse. Overall, Milspouse Matters is a highly recommended read and a deeply moving and insightful experience that provided me with a newfound appreciation for the sacrifices and resilience of military spouses.

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

American Wolf: From Nazi Refugee to American Spy is part of the Holocaust Survivor True Stories series by Audrey Birnbaum. This is a coming-of-age story of a Holocaust survivor who saw the worst the world had to offer. It was the year 1941, and Wolf Schwersenz was just an 11-year-old boy when he had to leave his life behind to embark on a new journey. With his expired US visa in his hand, Wolf boarded the Navemar, a Spanish freighter ship, hoping to reach the US for a better future. However, he had no idea about the horrors that awaited him. From escaping danger to becoming a victim, Wolf saw it all until he turned his life around when he reclaimed his life in the US.

I was ready to read a story full of heroics and danger, but I wasn’t prepared to laugh as I read this biography of a Holocaust survivor. Author Audrey Birnbaum created a comfortable narrative that showcased Wolf’s personality and how he developed as he grew up in less-than-perfect circumstances. I was moved by the detail provided and how each part of Wolf’s story became a part of my consciousness. The details were so perfect that I could easily picture everything happening in my head. Wolf was a smart kid, and he knew early on that he needed to be even smarter if he wanted to survive. The pictures included made every name and character real. It was tragic what happened to these people with lives, families, and futures. However, I appreciate Audrey Birnbaum’s hard work in showing what happened to those who survived and migrated. I loved knowing how Wolf rebuilt his life and grew up in different circumstances but remained the same softhearted person. I highly recommend American Wolf!

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Mac: The Wind Beneath My Wings is a work of non-fiction penned by author Sherry Hobbs in the biography, military history, and slice-of-life subgenres. It is best suited to the general adult reading audience. Readers are invited to experience a heartfelt tribute to the author's father, known as Mac, and his remarkable journey during World War II. Mac's story is one of incredible bravery and sacrifice. As a young man, when Pearl Harbor was bombed, he quickly joined the U.S. Army Air Force and became a pilot, flying the brand-new B-24 Liberator. Like the famous Louis Zamperini from Unbroken, Mac's plane faced heavy enemy fire, forcing them to ditch in the ocean on their first combat mission. His subsequent survival and 51 more combat missions in the Solomon Islands in 1943 are a testament to his resilience, and his story unfolds with love and dedication from his loving family.

Author Sherry Hobbs has achieved so much with this accomplished biography, loving tribute, and enlightening piece of history. Mac's journey is an incredible blend of sharply-penned action scenes, emotional recollections, and touching memories that bring together history, courage, and the indomitable human spirit. Hobbs's tribute to her father is both poignant and inspirational, shedding light on an often-untold part of the war's history and the heroes who lived it. She writes in a friendly tone that welcomes you in as a friend of the family, introducing you to this incredible man and the lasting impact he made on so many lives around him. Readers interested in personal wartime narratives and history will certainly find this work both educational and captivating, and I could easily see it fitting in at book clubs and educational settings alike. Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend Mac: The Wind Beneath My Wings for both history and biography enthusiasts alike.

Reviewed by Philip Van Heusen for Readers' Favorite

This book is hard to read as it details the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps. It is difficult in modern society to comprehend the absolute inhumanity committed by the Nazis on the Jews, Poles, Roma, Russians, etc. However, Sabine’s Odyssey by Agnes Schipper should be a must-read. We must never forget the depraved evil of the death camps. People from at least nineteen nations were ruthlessly killed at Mauthausen. Agnes’ mother, Sabine, and her grandparents survived the war because they were hidden from the Nazis. Sabine was hidden in nine separate places in the Netherlands between 1942 and 1945. Unfortunately, Sabine’s only sibling, Andreas Fröhlich, was killed in Mauthausen. Reading this book will open your eyes to the horrors of World War II, especially for the Jews, which occurred first in Germany, then in the Netherlands.

Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Agnes Schipper wants to be sure that the horrors of antisemitism and the Holocaust will never be forgotten or repeated. Sabine’s Odyssey begins with the reality of man’s inhumanity to man. It then flashes back to Sabine’s time before World War II. Before the Nazis came to power, Sabine and her brother lived a charmed life. Their father was a decorated veteran of Prussia during World War I. Even though they did not practice Judaism, the Nazis saw them as Jews. This concise book covers what led up to World War II and how it affected assimilated Jews, non-assimilated Jews, and Europe as a whole. Then Sabine’sexperiences of hiding from the Nazis during the war are detailed. You will thrill at the intrigue and danger that lurked everywhere and from almost everyone. This book will keep your interest.

Reviewed by Philip Van Heusen for Readers' Favorite

Game Changer is the heart-wrenching, gut-twisting drama that is the life of the Frase family. Paul Frase and Alison Rockett are the loving parents of Joshua Miles Frase. Joshua has a rare genetic disorder. He is differently-abled, but this did not stop his parents from launching into action to find a cure for Myotubular Myopathy (MTM). In the shadow of this spell-binding journey, one can see the hand of God working out the details. When Joshua was born, he scored zero on the Apgar assessment. Only parents who have stood where Paul and Alison found themselves will fully understand the implications. But Joshua finally had a diagnosis. I have been in those shoes, and this book is both amazing and eye-opening. Alison and Paul open their hearts and let the reader see inside while feeling the pain and excitement.

Having a differently-abled child may result in the loss of many dreams, but the love it brings more than makes up for any loss. “Grief, in the world of special needs, is an ongoing reality.” Paul Frase and Alison Rockett understand that God is sovereign. They share their deeply held belief in the Almighty in Game Changer. This book is an emotionally moving testimony to the courage and strength parents of differently-abled children often exhibit. It is written in a friendly manner, making the reader feel as if they are sitting in the den with Paul and Alison, just chatting about how their life was changed. This became a blessing for others because of the research they initiated in the hope of a cure for Joshua. Read through to the exciting end and see what can be accomplished when parents do their part. When doctors give parents no hope, it is time to find hope in Jesus Christ.

Reviewed by Grace Ruhara for Readers' Favorite

Life is unpredictable and full of surprises. Anything can happen at any time. Emerging From the Dark by Terence Ang shares his story and that of other stroke survivors. Their stories acknowledge that the journey is not easy, but it's possible, and they have overcome and come back stronger. Before finally accepting themselves as they are and loving their flaws, they faced constant breakdowns and threats that almost compelled them to give up. The struggles one faces are aphasia, anxiety, and mood changes. Self-pity and sorrow arise, especially when you feel no progress has been made and you have to depend on your family and friends to do even the simplest tasks. These challenges give you a reason to fight back and push on. Along the way, you appreciate your loved ones for sticking by you, empathize more with people in need, learn to accept and ask for assistance, and have the patience to give life a second chance.

Emerging From the Dark by Terence Ang is commendable for its transparency. The survivors don't try to make their experiences sound better than they were. Instead, they describe the hard parts and give readers a clear picture of the transition. The author also accompanies these stories with drawings that helped him vent his frustrations and speak up about how exactly he felt, enabling readers to connect with his thoughts and emotions more deeply. The numerous stories that the author shares are assurances that there are people who battled through their strokes and came out stronger. This gives anyone going through the same experience hope and courage to overcome their challenges as the survivors did. I recommend this book to readers suffering from a stroke or those with family members who are stroke victims. It will give them reasons to push on harder and more ways to overcome the challenges involved.

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Lucky Jack (1894 – 2000): Memoirs of a World War 1 POW by S. Bavey is a legacy memoir narrated in the first person by Jack Rogers and collated by his granddaughter, who is the author. Rogers lived until the age of 106 and his story starts at the very beginning of this book with his memory, as a toddler, of making eye contact with Queen Victoria. In between, Rogers relays in exact detail the most poignant moments of his life and some less so, but still notable, as part of the overall arc of one man's journey. These include personal moments such as family weddings, as well as his own, and more universally famed events such as the Easter Rising in Ireland, and both WWI and WWII. In the first war, he was a prisoner of war. He lived through the reigns of six different kings and queens of England with letters to prove they knew he was out there too. Photographs are sprinkled throughout to bring to life what Rogers relays from memory.

There is something about the generation that saw more change than any other in history. Imagine being born when the world was still traveling via horse and buggy, and then raising a pint when watching the first man walk on the moon. It's extraordinary, and memoirs like Lucky Jack are almost like time capsules that share the individual experiences that we may know about collectively but cannot connect to personally. S. Bavey and Jack Rogers, in narrating and collating Rogers' stories, have added an important piece to the reporting of British history and, specifically, to the lending of an authentic voice as a POW for those who never made it home. The writing has the feel of one sitting by the fire while a grandparent retells a slice of their life. It is rough around the edges from a literary perspective but the conversational tone works well. I can see this book being of interest to historians and those who seek out war journals, but the real treasure will be reserved for the generations of Rogers' descendants to come who will have a concrete account of their family history.

Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

A Century of Secrets by Teresa Syms is a gripping story of a family, covering its history over a century and the main players that have given it the visage it has. Readers are introduced to a character who has been through a lot of pain because of the lies, abuses, dark secrets, and intrigue played out in her family over the period of a century. The story explores the conflicts, the deceptions, and the protagonist’s struggle to redefine herself and reconquer her inner freedom. Here is a story that many readers will relate to, the story of a family with its own struggle to function normally.

The reader will be surprised at the honesty of the narrator whose voice comes across powerfully. Teresa is a character that readers will love to know better because she carries in her a pain that many people bear in silence. But how she overcomes depression, finds her voice, and stands up for herself is a lesson that will speak volumes to readers. Just after describing a horrible scene in which the protagonist gets violated by a medical doctor, the narrator notes that: “Teresa’s life was a tortured hell without her love. She became moody and very depressed.” The writing is beautiful, featuring powerful and vivid descriptions that allow the reader to clearly imagine the scenes, the characters, and the action. It is well paced and Teresa Syms has succeeded in getting the reader interested in following the characters. A Century of Secrets is a story that powerfully documents what repression and abuse in the family setting can lead to; it’s a courageous story that explores freedom and the determination to create a life of meaning. Highly entertaining!

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Mr. Mulligan: The Life of Champion Armless Golfer Tommy McAuliffe is a work of non-fiction in the biography subgenre and serves as the opening installment of the McAuliffe series. It is suitable for the general reading audience and was penned by author Tom Patrick McAuliffe II. The book shares the story of Tommy McAuliffe, who was one of the most accomplished golfers of his time despite not having arms to hold the clubs. Painting a vivid picture of the era and its changing attitudes toward the disabled, the book recalls the journey McAuliffe undertook to become one of the most skilled golfers of his generation.

This was a delightful love letter to a colorful character in the author’s life, aimed squarely at celebrating the spirit of a man who refused to be defined by a disability in an era before society paid much heed to ideas of accessibility. Tom Patrick McAuliffe II shares many wonderful stories about his grandfather and namesake, and some are recalled as anecdotes from the man himself whilst others are reconstructed through painstaking research. It’s a fitting tribute to a man who served as a role model for so many to have his story so lovingly revisited today, and the warmth of the writing gives the reader an immediate sense of the character of the subject. Overall, Mr. Mulligan is an essential read even for those of us without much experience or knowledge of the golf scene. The message it conveys about not letting adversity stand in the way of happiness and the pursuit of one's passions is timeless and universal.

Reviewed by Lesley Jones for Readers' Favorite

While awaiting trial in Poland between 1946-47, Rudolf Höss, the man referred to as the greatest mass murderer in history, wrote his memoirs. Höss systemically executed 1.1 million men, women, and children with a chilling lack of empathy or culpability. As the prisoners entered the camp, only 20%-30% of them would survive the first day. Throughout his account of the atrocities, Höss denied any involvement in the mistreatment of prisoners, simply stating he was following orders regarding Hitler's Final Solution. Architect of Death at Auschwitz by John W Primomo is a detailed analysis of Höss's journals as well as accounts from Auschwitz survivors. How did a young boy who was destined to enter the priesthood become the head of all the Nazi death camps and develop such a warped mentality regarding human life? Discover what instigated Hitler's hatred of the Jewish people and where the infamous sign on the entrance of Auschwitz, 'Arbeit Macht Frei,' derives from.

The content of this well-written book is extremely disturbing but absolutely compelling. The accounts from the survivors of the concentration camps regarding the treatment and torture will stay with me always. The book is extremely well researched and includes details about the prisoners' degradation, torture, and humiliation that I was unaware of. The accounts of the standing cells, dusting out the cells, and roll calls were particularly horrendous. Höss's attempt to exonerate himself and paint himself as an innocent bystander was astounding. Architect of Death at Auschwitz by John W Primomo is an excellent in-depth look at how humanity can turn on one another to survive; the behavior of the Sonderkommandos is a perfect example of this. Höss's narcissist attitude left me speechless throughout; his pride in deceiving those as they entered the gas chamber, his belief he was just following orders, and the lack of empathy for anyone but himself. This analysis of Höss from childhood to execution is a superb, non-biased factual account that dissects Höss's memoir and highlights the inconsistencies such as his belief that he was powerless to stop the atrocities. Joseph Stalin regarding the mass murder once said, “The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.”