About the Book

 

Book:  Wings Like A Dove

Author: Camille Eide

Genre: Historical fiction/romance

Release Date: December 1, 2019

Can the invisible walls that separate people ever come down?

In 1933, Anna Leibowicz is convinced that the American dream that brought her Jewish family here from Poland is nothing but an illusion. Her father has vanished. Her dreams of college can’t make it past the sweat-shop door. And when she discovers to her shame and horror that she’s with child, her mother gives her little choice but to leave her family. Deciding her best course of action is to try to find her father, she strikes out…hoping against hope to somehow redeem them both.

When Anna stumbles upon a house full of orphan boys in rural Indiana who are in desperate need of a tutor, she agrees to postpone her journey. But she knows from the moment she meets their contemplative, deep-hearted caretaker, Thomas Chandler, that she doesn’t dare risk staying too long. She can’t afford to open her heart to them, to him. She can’t risk letting her secrets out.

All too soon, the townspeople realize she’s not like them and treat her with the same disdain they give the Sisters of Mercy—the nuns who help Thomas and the boys—and Samuel, the quiet colored boy Thomas has taken in. With the Klan presence in the town growing ever stronger and the danger to this family increasing the longer she stays, Anna is torn between fleeing to keep them safe…and staying to fight beside them.

Oh, that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest…



 

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About the Author

 

Camille writes poignant, inspirational love stories some call “more than a romance.” She lives in Oregon with her husband and is a mom, grandma, office admin, lead foot, cinnamon roll baker, and a bass guitarist. She’s a fan of muscle cars, tender romance, and Peanut M&Ms.  

More from Camille

 

If Only I Could Fly Away…

 

 

What do you think of when you read this passage from Psalms? Does the idea of escape tempt you? Have you ever cried out for relief from life’s storms?

 

In Wings Like a Dove, Anna faces growing difficulties in her life. Psalm 55:6 is brought to her attention and she ponders it more than once, especially as the difficulties in her life steadily increase.

 

As Polish Jews in the early 1900s, Anna’s family lived in constant upheaval, so fleeing danger is nothing new to her. The problem is that Anna craves connection and community. While she was often uprooted, at least Anna enjoyed the security of family—until now. As the story begins, she is turned out of her home and must journey across the country alone, a heartache that only intensifies the persecution she faces as a Jew, an immigrant, and an unwed woman with child.

 

But her journey is temporarily delayed out of necessity, and she quickly falls in love with those who have taken her in. The idea of leaving them is as painful a prospect as leaving her own family, but because of the troubles that follow her, it seems she has no choice.

 

Psalm 55:6 isn’t tempting Anna to leave her surroundings; it tempts her to escape the negativity that robs her joy.

 

For Anna, and for the rest of us, we can’t flee trouble any more than we can grow wings and fly. The desire for relief is understandable. But what if there is a purpose in the difficult situations we face? What if we are called to more than simply outlast life’s storms? What if our weakest moment is exactly what God wants to use to show his power, love, mercy, and grace?

 

What if God is waiting for us to stop fluttering our wings and find joy in knowing that we are in the very place we need to be, for a purpose, for such a time as this?

 

Quote from Anna:

 

“If these past months have taught me nothing else, they have taught me that though I am only a seed blowing in the wind, I must still be fruitful wherever I land. I have learned that wherever we find ourselves, we must have the courage to stretch out roots and produce something useful, even in times of difficulty. We must bloom boldly in whatever field our seed has fallen.”  

 

May you find the sweet spot of joy and purpose in the midst of your storm!  

 

-Camille

 

My Review

 

As an avid reader of Christian historical fiction, finding a distinctive work that truly stands out from the rest and also covers a little-known time period can be challenging. Earlier this year I read Cathy Gohlke’s “The Medallion” and appreciated it for being a different type of Holocaust narrative. Throughout college, I took courses on and studied the Holocaust, focusing mostly on the concentration camps. However, I do not remember studying the earlier years of Hitler’s rise to power, nor do I recall reading accounts of Jewish life in America prior to WWII. This is obviously not to say that they don’t exist, but rather that literature, especially when fictional, tends to focus on the War and the atrocities perpetrated therein. Part of the reason why I loved “Wings Like a Dove” so much is that it diverges from the conventional novel about Jewish people during this era.

Writing with verdant detail, Camille Eide cultivates a poignant story within the pages of “Wings Like a Dove.” Interestingly, this story takes place in America in 1933, the same year in which Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. After leaving their native Poland, Anna Leibowicz and her family are struggling to make a life in America, which is turning out not to be the promised land of opportunity for everyone. Anna is such an interesting, multi-faceted character, and her growth and maturation are beautiful yet heartrending to witness. After becoming pregnant out of wedlock, she is forced to leave her home and make her own way, which lands her in the role of tutor to six orphaned boys whose caretaker’s deeply-held Christian beliefs both baffle and intrigue her. She has always lived in a community in which neighbor took care of neighbor, but she doesn’t understand the workings of Christianity: “A choice? To belong to a religion? How strange. Being a Jew was not a choice.” This was eye-opening for me because it offers perspective; being a Christian is a matter of asking Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior, whereas being Jewish is something that you are born into.

A fact that I did not fully realize before reading this novel is that living in America did not exempt Jewish people from persecution. Although America became a safe haven for Jewish refugees during and after WWII, and I have always considered those who immigrated prior to Hitler’s invasion of Poland as being secure, “Wings Like a Dove” sheds light on how dangerous it was to be Jewish: “All she knew was you could be tormented for a heritage you did not choose. You could inherit a life of constant upheaval and uncertainty whether you wanted it or not. You could be despised for the odious crime of simply being born.” This is the crux of the story’s conflict both within Anna herself and in the world around her. Sadly, this is something that we still see today, but we must remember that accepting Jesus brings us to a glorious eternal inheritance regardless of race or nationality.

Eide deftly works the historical atmosphere into “Wings Like a Dove.” The Campbell Home for Mothers and Children in this novel puts me in mind of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and highlights some of the potential danger faced by the orphan boys. In the same manner, Sam’s elective mutism bespeaks past trauma inflicted due to the color of his skin. As aforementioned, xenophobia plays a major role in the story, with the Jewish people being discriminated against along with Catholics, Negroes, and other immigrants. The Ku Klux Klan enters into the narrative as well. I applaud Eide for demonstrating that racism is always wrong and that we should offer Christ’s love to everyone because that is what will ultimately triumph. For further exploration, there are discussion questions included at the end of the book, followed by more generalized discussion questions about broader points.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

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