Review of Wonks
Posted: 18 Sep 2021, 04:46
[Following is a volunteer review of "Wonks" by William Reese Hamilton.]
The numerous conflicts of the twentieth century led to many broken families. Many men had to leave their families and head to war; they defended their nation with pride because they felt obliged to protect defenseless people. Most of the stories about the Second World War focused on what happened on the battlefield. What about the effect the war had on those left behind by their husbands and their fathers? How did the war impact them? Wonks by William Reese Hamilton serves us a heart-wrenching historical fiction about the effects of the war on a young boy called Johnny.
The Japanese Imperial Army swept Manila, the capital of the Philippines, during the Second World War. As a result, 12-year-old Johnny and his mother found themselves imprisoned in an internment camp at the University of Santo Tomas. His father was missing, and they presumed that he was a guerrilla fighter. Although his mother told him not to worry about his father, they both deeply felt the void he had left. Life in the camp was not easy; they faced many challenges. The Japanese had enforced strict rules on them, and they nearly starved. Johnny had friends who helped him maintain sanity through it all. There were still questions that remained unanswered. Will they ever be rescued? Will he ever get to see his father again?
The author painted a masterpiece using words. It was easy to respond to what the characters were going through with the appropriate emotions. For instance, the depiction of the mental state of Johnny made it easy to empathize with him. For a child, his age, the experiences he went through were enough to break him. He witnessed executions, beatings, abuse, and betrayal, but he still managed to remain composed. Reading and getting the story from Johnny's perspective made it easy to see all his thoughts, feelings and understand his motivations.
This story was so gripping; once I started reading it, I could not put it down. The story transported me to an entirely different universe. I forgot to keep track of time. There were moments where I felt like I was right inside the story with the characters, only to look up and realize that I was in my living room.
I read a lot, and of all the books I have read recently, this has been the only one that managed to squeeze all types of emotions from me. There is nothing that I disliked about this book. The editing was flawless; I did not encounter any grammatical errors while reading it. It would be selfish of me if I awarded this book any rating short of perfect. I give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy reading this book. It contains profanity and graphical content; therefore, anyone sensitive to such content should avoid it.
******
Wonks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The numerous conflicts of the twentieth century led to many broken families. Many men had to leave their families and head to war; they defended their nation with pride because they felt obliged to protect defenseless people. Most of the stories about the Second World War focused on what happened on the battlefield. What about the effect the war had on those left behind by their husbands and their fathers? How did the war impact them? Wonks by William Reese Hamilton serves us a heart-wrenching historical fiction about the effects of the war on a young boy called Johnny.
The Japanese Imperial Army swept Manila, the capital of the Philippines, during the Second World War. As a result, 12-year-old Johnny and his mother found themselves imprisoned in an internment camp at the University of Santo Tomas. His father was missing, and they presumed that he was a guerrilla fighter. Although his mother told him not to worry about his father, they both deeply felt the void he had left. Life in the camp was not easy; they faced many challenges. The Japanese had enforced strict rules on them, and they nearly starved. Johnny had friends who helped him maintain sanity through it all. There were still questions that remained unanswered. Will they ever be rescued? Will he ever get to see his father again?
The author painted a masterpiece using words. It was easy to respond to what the characters were going through with the appropriate emotions. For instance, the depiction of the mental state of Johnny made it easy to empathize with him. For a child, his age, the experiences he went through were enough to break him. He witnessed executions, beatings, abuse, and betrayal, but he still managed to remain composed. Reading and getting the story from Johnny's perspective made it easy to see all his thoughts, feelings and understand his motivations.
This story was so gripping; once I started reading it, I could not put it down. The story transported me to an entirely different universe. I forgot to keep track of time. There were moments where I felt like I was right inside the story with the characters, only to look up and realize that I was in my living room.
I read a lot, and of all the books I have read recently, this has been the only one that managed to squeeze all types of emotions from me. There is nothing that I disliked about this book. The editing was flawless; I did not encounter any grammatical errors while reading it. It would be selfish of me if I awarded this book any rating short of perfect. I give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy reading this book. It contains profanity and graphical content; therefore, anyone sensitive to such content should avoid it.
******
Wonks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon