Will's War

Rating:
Summary: Truth is better than fiction :)
Review: I find it amazing that this story is a true story of the author's grandfather, and his trial for treason due to the fact that he was/is of German descent.

All of these amazing characters are even more amazing because they actually existed. Will's wife Virginia, who believed in, supported, and was so frightened for him; his mother-in-law, who was on his side from the beginning to the end, helping the other men's families while they were confined in prison; and his sister, beautiful, strong, and unafraid to go to the ends of the earth to prove her brother's innocence. Will's attorney, Atwell, again, a man who went the extra mile, even when he wasn't all that sure of his client's innocence.

The part about the miners fighting for a union broke my heart, the struggles that they had to go through, the awful working conditions they had to endure...and there was Will, just trying to make a difference, trying to help the families, literally trying to save their lives by "uniting". He was a wonderful man by all accounts, strong in his beliefs, and fearless in the face of adversity.

The story of his parents, and grandparents was so enjoyable, with all the love and adventure of people trying to escape their countries and start anew in "The land of the Free, and the home of the Brave."

America is a land of so many different peoples who came here on the soul belief that they would be treated with fairness, equality, and respect. I am always so saddened when I read these true accounts of how we treat other cultures and nationalities because of fear, or mis-understanding. The only true Americans, are Native Americans, everyone else can trace their ancestry all the way back to some relation, who was brave enough to come to this country in order to seek the American Dream...Is it just a Dream? I hope not.

Will believed in the Dream; he believed in equality for all, for fair wages for working men and women; he believed in the union, he believed in Free speech...he believed that he was an American. And he was!

Enjoy, Debbi

Rating:
Summary: Terrific read
Review: I learned so much by reading this third book of Janice Woods Windle. I was amazed at the intolerance and fear that Americans, Texans in particular, had of their fellow citizens who were of German extract during WWI. What a phenomena fear is! And war brings out the worst of fears, even today. To read of Will, Janice's ancestor and his trial related to supposed treason against the U. S. is an amazing read, as it is based on the truth of the trial of Woods Windle's kin.

I was also fascinated by Will's involvement with the labor movement in Colorado and the Wobblies, and how that branded his reputation, threatened his livelihood as a mailman and upright citizen who saw a need for change and put his life on the line.

I am a devout fan of Janice Woods Windle's three books. Actually "True Women" convinced me that she was a writer to watch. "Hill Country" was okay, but "Will's War" is right up there with "True Women." This is a must read in historical fiction of Texas, circa WWI and its surrounding years.

Highly recommend!

Rating:
Summary: Terrific read
Review: I learned so much by reading this third book of Janice Woods Windle. I was amazed at the intolerance and fear that Americans, Texans in particular, had of their fellow citizens who were of German extract during WWI. What a phenomena fear is! And war brings out the worst of fears, even today. To read of Will, Janice's ancestor and his trial related to supposed treason against the U. S. is an amazing read, as it is based on the truth of the trial of Woods Windle's kin.

I was also fascinated by Will's involvement with the labor movement in Colorado and the Wobblies, and how that branded his reputation, threatened his livelihood as a mailman and upright citizen who saw a need for change and put his life on the line.

I am a devout fan of Janice Woods Windle's three books. Actually "True Women" convinced me that she was a writer to watch. "Hill Country" was okay, but "Will's War" is right up there with "True Women." This is a must read in historical fiction of Texas, circa WWI and its surrounding years.

Highly recommend!

Rating:
Summary: A must for every reader
Review: If you think you've read the quintessential courtroom novel, or learned more than you can possibly learn bout contemporary history, think again. this book has it all. Janice Woods /windle has an uncanny knack for making real people come to life on a page and they soon feel like old friends or family members. Here's a book that tells you things about Texas you never knew, gives you an entirely different slant on how this country handled the era around WWI, and shows you with almost painful clarity how people's passions and prejudices shape history and lives.

From the first page where you meet Will Bergfeld until the conclusion of an emotional trial, this is a book you can't put down. As much as this book resembles True Women and Hill Country in creating a mood and drawing the history of Texas, it is again totally different, and could just as easily have taken place today. For those who think racial profiling is a new facet of our lives, think again. Pick up this book and you won;t be able to put it down until you've read the last word.

Rating:
Summary: WILL'S WAR: Truth and love rise up to prejudice and fear
Review: Will Bergfeld, who "sometimes accompanied the sunset" on his grandmother's violin, was playing for his wife and little girls in Weinert, Texas one night when a train stopped, ominously, without whistling. Eighteen lawmen burst into the Bergfeld home and arrested Will without a warrent. The year was 1917. The United States had declared war on Germany. In a wave of anti-German hysteria, authorities in this country began gathering information about Americans of German descent and placing them on a secret list, "Subjects of the Teutonic Order."

Will, a rural mailman west of Fort Worth, was noticed because he organized workers and was concerned about protecting water rights of farmers in a dry land. He could not stand injustice. He greatly loved America, where his family had come to escape the same sorts of injustices in Germany. However, he and 51 other men found themselves in a Federal trial in Abilene. He was accused of treason, conspiracy to overthrow the government, and thretening to kill President Woodrow Wilson. Will's father-in-law Henry King hired a gifted attorney.

Readers of TRUE WOMEN will remember Henry and Bettie and their gracious home in Seguin, on the beautiful Guadalupe River. In WILL'S WAR, the King's daughter Virginia is a young woman. Her daughters Little Virginia and Mary play on the courtroom floor during their father's trial. Bettie is there, too. Peachtree, the odd vagrant "with a wreath of wild hair" materializes with his owl. He provides valuable information to Will's sister Louise, a thoroughly modern woman with a custom-made red roadster. Other remarkable people make a first appearance, among them, Pastor Jose Polycarpo Rodriguez.

This story is not fiction. It is based on the 3000-page transcript of the trial. Little Virginia is the mother of Janice Woods Windle. This book, like TRUE WOMEN and HILL COUNTRY, is categorized as fiction because of dialog, but all are based on lengthy research in family and public sources. Readers who treasure the author's lyrical prose in her previous books will be delighted with this new one. Even more valuable is the story itself: fear and prejudice of innocent people can twist and destroy American values of liberty and justice for all. Here, in a gracefully written story of enduring love and truth, all Americans can go back in time to dusty Weinert and the banks of the jade green Guadalupe to learn how to avoid these problems in the future. Janice Woods Windle has given us all a valuable and enduring gift.