by Tracy Groot
“Lucky I don’t smoke.”
—
The man with the red scarf, known in Cabourg as François Rousseau, walked rapidly to work. He exchanged pleasantries with his bronchial secretary, suggested mint tea, and slipped into his office. He took off his coat and hung it on the coat tree. He left the scarf on; it was cold in the office, but he did not light the coal in the brazier. What coal the company allotment allowed, he brought home in newspaper to Marie and the children. Thank God spring was coming soon.
He rubbed his gloved hands together and settled down to the papers on his desk. But he could not settle his mind. He finally pushed aside the latest numbers of Rommel’s new cement quotas and let his mind take him where it would.
Twice he reached for the telephone, twice he pulled back. He had to work it out in his head, every detail, before he called his brother, Michel. He tapped his lips with gloved fingers. Hadn’t they improvised for nearly four years? If there was one thing they’d learned under enemy occupation, it was resourcefulness.
It was a fool’s scheme, he knew, but Michel was feeling so very low. The idea could have enough in it to beguile him from the latest blow. And it was an interesting scheme. That face? That height?
He thought it through, beginning to end, and picked up the phone. Sometimes, answers to problems literally dropped from the sky. There was only one thing a cunning Frenchman should do with a Yank who looked exactly like a proud German officer. Make him one.
Acknowledgments
ac•knowl•edge
Verb
1. Accept or admit the existence or truth of.
2. Recognize the fact or importance or quality of.
I hate writing acknowledgments. For one thing, I may forget the name of someone to whom I owe a limb. Mostly, acknowledgments will never fully convey what I mean. When I say thanks to Tyndale, it doesn’t express my appreciation for Kathy Olson’s finesse or Ron Kaufmann’s ability to portray what I feel. When I mention Eric Leonard and Chris Barr, it doesn’t adequately express my admiration for what they do or what their own sentinelhood has meant to me. I can’t show you the cruddy first draft Alison Hodgson and Don Pearson talked me out of, and I can’t show you the cliff the Guild talked me down from.
I hate acknowledgments. They are feeble and inadequate. But they are all I have, so believe me when I say that this book could not have been written without help from the following, to whom I owe a big fat debt of gratitude: Alison Hodgson, Don Pearson, Chris Marsh, Becca Groot, Meredith Smith, Kathy Helmers, the unflappable Fifth Column, my beloved Guild, and the talented tribe at Tyndale, with whom it was an honor to work once more. You guys are quality down to the ground.
I wish especially to acknowledge the gracious and invaluable help from the staff at the Andersonville National Historic Site, and in particular, Eric Leonard and Christopher Barr. They answered questions I couldn’t figure out on my own, most of them very odd, and went out of their way to track down answers. Their contribution to this book cannot be measured. That said, if anyone versant in Andersonville history notes errors of any kind or inferences of any nature, those errors and inferences belong solely to me and not to anyone else.
Finally, thanks to my wonderful family for the Research Trip of Summer ’12; to my wonderful dad, who took a trip to Andersonville just because I was studying it; and to my wonderful mother, whose belief in me borders on the insane.
PS—If you mess with me, she will find you.
About the Author
TRACY GROOT is the author of The Brother’s Keeper and Stones of My Accusers, which both received starred Booklist reviews, and Madman, a Christy Award–winning novel that also received a starred Publishers Weekly review. Her most recent novel, Flame of Resistance, is a 2013 Christy Award winner. Luckily, she and her husband own a coffee shop in Holland, Michigan, where a caffeine junkie can find acceptability and safe haven.
For more information about Tracy and her books, visit www.tracygroot.com.
Discussion Questions
At the beginning of the book, Violet Stiles is blissfully ignorant of the atrocities taking place just a short distance from her home. Have you ever discovered something unpleasant or inappropriate happening just outside your circle of awareness? How did you learn about it? What was your response? Do you think we have a responsibility to educate ourselves about things going on around us? Why or why not?
Emery Jones and Lew Gann, political enemies, find common ground and become unlikely friends. Have you ever found yourself drawn unexpectedly to someone from a different religious, political, or ideological background? How might such a friendship change a person? How does it change Emery?
Dance Pickett has a front-row seat to what’s happening at Andersonville. How does it affect him? In what ways can you relate to Dance’s attitude? What is it that changes his attitude from resignation to determination?
Dr. Stiles is able to do more than most to alleviate the suffering of the prisoners. Yet even he runs into obstacles that seem insurmountable. When have you run into obstacles trying to do something good? What was your response? How can we know whether obstacles are God’s way of telling us to move in a different direction or whether they are the enemy’s attempts to block us from doing the right thing? What is it that helps Dr. Stiles answer this question for himself?
Until Reverend Gillette enters Andersonville and experiences the atrocities firsthand, he is hesitant to ask the people of Americus to help these dying prisoners of war. Have you ever felt compelled to lead your family, friends, or other group in an unpopular direction? What was it that made you feel strongly about the issue, whatever it was? Why, in your opinion, might God sometimes ask us to speak out—or lead out—against the crowd?
Violet’s mother, Polly, is primarily focused on domestic challenges: raising her daughters, feeding her family during a difficult time, and participating in her community. Do you think her focus is appropriate? What value is there in ministering primarily to one’s family, despite the larger societal concerns that may be going on? At what point in the story do Polly’s concerns grow beyond her home and family, and what prompts that?
Dance’s scrip is a sacred place for him, a place where he keeps reminders of what is truly important. How do you think the writings in the scrip help him make sense of the world? Do you have a journal, a box, a folder, or something else like this? What kinds of things do you record? If you’ve never done this, is it something you think you’d like to start?
Different characters in the story struggle with the fact that the needs they see at Andersonville are so overwhelming, they can’t figure out where to start in making a difference. Discuss how various characters come to terms with this challenge. What are some of the small things they do? What needs do you see around you that seem too big to address? What is one small way you could start to make a difference, even if you think it won’t matter? Will you do it this week?
The townspeople of Americus believe the prisoners of war in Andersonville deserve no compassion; these prisoners represent the men who killed their sons, fathers, neighbors, and friends. Think of a situation in which you struggled to “love your enemy.” How did you deal with it? How would you counsel the citizens of Americus during this time of war?
To better appreciate the feelings of Americus toward Andersonville, imagine a prison housing thousands of convicted terrorists only ten miles from your home. Now imagine that you are confronted with the truth that the prisoners are being treated in an inhumane manner and are dying of starvation, lack of sanitation, and communicable diseases for which remedies could easily be provided. Would you defy social stigma—and the law—to help them? Would you feed these enemies? How would you feel about those who wanted to help them? How would your reaction differ if you had personally lost a loved one in the recent wars on terror?
A recurring theme in this book is the Bible’s teaching that when civil or military authorities are wrong, Christians have a duty to follow their conscience and obey
God. History records well-known leaders of civil disobedience, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Do you think such efforts are effective? What are the dangers and drawbacks? What are the potential benefits, both to those disobeying authority and to society?
Which character in the novel was your favorite, and why? Which character surprised you the most, good or bad? What do you imagine Posey Stiles would be doing ten years after the story’s conclusion?