All for the Cause

by Gail Kittleson

Distant thunder rolled as Mr. Olsen poured coffee for his customers, and comments crackled like popcorn. "Surrender?" "Unconditional, he said. Who woulda thought..." "Sure ain't lookin' good." "Sure hate to think of 'em bein' prisoners." "Ain't Howard Hannam's son over there?" "Yeah, and my brother's boy. Sure hope MacArthur keeps his promise to rescue them fellas." The news was grim in May 1942. The Philippines had fallen to the Imperial Japanese Army. Rommel is on the move in Northern Africa. The Russian Army is pushed back toward Stalingrad. In the sweltering jungles of Corregidor, PFC Stan Ford battles illness and injury as he and his comrades escape and evade a tenacious enemy. And in the Heartland, women mourn the loss of husbands, sons, and sweethearts. While everyone else seems to be doing something to support the troops, Twila Brunner feels lost, and useless. But when she sees a newspaper article about a Prisoner of War camp being built in neighboring Algona, Iowa, she believes she has finally discovered a way to give something for the Cause.

330 pages, Paperback

Published April 3, 2019

About the author

The World War II fiction bug bit Gail after she penned a memoir. Since then, she's written historical fiction. You can count on her make-do Greatest Generation characters to exhibit tenacity and spunk (or 'pluck' if they're British) in the face of grave danger and distress.

These down-to-earth heroines and heroes receive no pat answers or easy ways out. But just as in real life, doubts and challenges strengthen them and test honest faith.

Gail taught college expository writing, but now cheers on her own characters and encourages other writers. She also facilitates writing workshops. She and her husband enjoy the beauty off Arizona's Rim Country.

Reviews

[Leslie]

All for the Cause Review

I am always fascinated how people’s lives intersect even if they are fictional. In this new book in the Women of the Heartland Series, author Gail Kittleson reveals how Twila and Stan’s lives develop, and then intersect during WW II. Drawing on her own experiences as an Iowa farm girl and doing extensive research, she tells the story of Twila and Stan.

The book begins with Twila as a self-absorbed 16 year old, sneaking out to see her boyfriend. But the stress of the war—her father teaching in California because of his experiences in WWI her mother working in the Hormel plant, forces Twila to grow up. We see her striving to find ways to contribute to the war effort as she sees so many family and friends doing.

Meanwhile Stan leaves his family in Minnesota to join the war effort and is shipped overseas. He relates the horrors of his experiences in the Philippines, suffering a severe knee injury, and in his recovery experiencing flashback nightmares. After recovery, not yet fit for return to duty, he is assigned to become a guard in the new prisoner of war camp in Algona, Iowa where his life connects with Twila’s.

I hope you will enjoy learning a little about WWII and Iowa history as you read Twila and Stan’s story.

[Joy Kidney]

All For the Cause takes the reader to the Philippines during WWII. Knowing that the author's father-in-law was a scout in a raid on a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines heightens the authenticity of that part of the story.

It also takes the reader to a German POW camp in Algona, Iowa The POWs there provided labor for surrounding farms, where sons were serving in the war. I was surprised that nothing was mentioned about the large manger scene made by the POWs for the citizens of the town, but maybe that didn't fit in with the themes of the historical novel.

This book is a great addition to Gail Kittleson's "Women of the Heartland" WWII series.

[Irene Kain]

All for the Cause is an inspiring story of ordinary people who courageously confront challenges at home and in the Philippines during WWII. The characters display tenacity and courage in spite of experiencing adverse conditions. Cultural details which are sprinkled throughout the book clearly illustrate that time in history. I have renewed appreciation for all who sacrificed and served to preserve freedom for all.

[Cleo]

This book takes the reader into the WWII homefront. The author has carefully researched the era and makes the reality of the time embedded into the plot. The part that fascinated this reader was the German prison camp that was in the Iowa cornfields during the war. What a unique setting for a love story!!! I found myself reading further than my work schedule allowed, but loved the way Gail Kittleson writes about the women from the Greatest Generation.