What (am I currently reading)?

I am currently reading the historical fiction An Enemy Like Me by Teri M Brown which is being published, by Atmosphere Press,  on 24 January 2023. 

Book Blurb   (taken from https://www.terimbrown.com/ )

How does a man show his love – for country, for heritage, for family – during a war that sets the three at odds? What sets in motion the necessity to choose one over the other? How will this choice change everything and everyone he loves?

Jacob Miller, a first-generation American, grew up in New Berlin, a small German immigrant town in Ohio where he endured the Great Depression, met his wife, and started a family. Though his early years were not easy, Jacob believes he is headed toward his ‘happily ever after’ until a friend is sent to an internment camp for enemy combatants, and the war lands resolutely on his doorstep.

In An Enemy Like Me, Teri M Brown uses the backdrop of World War II to show the angst experienced by Jacob, his wife, and his four-year-old son as he left for and fought in a war he did not create. She explores the concepts of xenophobia, intrafamily dynamics, and the recognition that war is not won and lost by nations, but by ordinary men and women and the families who support them.

Why (have I chosen to read it)?

When I heard Teri M Brown was bringing out a new novel, again historical fiction, I couldn’t wait to read it.  I read and loved Sunflowers Beneath the Snow  last year, a novel from which I learnt so much about Ukraine and its people, whilst being  completely involved with the 3 generations of a family from start to end.  That was a 5* read for me, indeed I still think about it often, so I am looking forward to meeting her new character Jacob and immersing myself in his world in An Enemy Like Me.   

While (I am reading it)

I went to watch my first German language film, without subtitles, at our local, beautiful, culture centre.  It was Corsage, but sadly I found watching a 2 hour film without subtitles too hard for my current language ability .  This photo (of the next film to be shown) was taken  well before Corsage started, by the time it started all the seats were taken!   Anyway I now have a goal of being able to concentrate on,  and understand,  a feature length film in German, though accept it may take a while to accomplish! 

All the best,  Emma of EmmabBooks.com