The past couple years have been contentious, filled with political rancor and a worldwide pandemic. However, it’s nothing new. As Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 1:9, What has been, it is what will be, And what has been done, it is what will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.
During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson enacted the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 which, among other things, meant to silence citizens opposed to the war. Anti-German hysteria was high, even in Wisconsin with its high percentage of German immigration. And the Spanish flu pandemic raced around the world.
When I began writing The Storm Breaks Forth, I didn’t intend that it would be a portrayal of America that’s not so different from our country today. The politicians have been involved in similar sniping at each other, but the COVID pandemic hadn’t yet started. We’ve seen how it permeated our everyday lives. It proves that life hasn’t changed much in one hundred years.
A reviewer on Amazon wrote of The Storm Breaks Forth, “We need to read stories like this for perspective. History repeats itself over and over and over, because human nature doesn’t change. Terri Wangard’s new novel shows us just how far we’ve traveled from WWI. Unfortunately, it’s a very short distance. Her portrayal of the treatment of German immigrants/German Americans could have been taken from our recent war with Iraq and Afghanistan and our fear of Muslims, or our current controversy over racial prejudice.”
My father’s family had one hundred percent German ancestry, and they lived in Milwaukee. I would love to ask what their lives were like, but of course, no one from that time is still living. Were they threatened by the rabid patriots or did they too scorn those unhappy about fighting their home country? Did they believe American involvement was necessary? Did they sign pledge cards and buy war bonds? Did they know anyone who had yellow paint splashed on their house?
With no answers, I am left to imagine what my grandparents and great-grandparents thought of the political sniping? Were they fearful of the raging pandemic? How did they cope? I do know my grandmother’s oldest sister died of the Spanish flu.
The country got through World War I and the Spanish Flu. Maren soldiered on, stepping outside her comfort zone to help win the war in a variety of ways. Peter was a brave soldier who won high acclaim. Ultimately, they had a happily-ever-after.
We’ll get through today’s turmoil, too.
World War I rages in Europe. When the United States joins in, Peter Bloch heads to France with the Wisconsin National Guard, but his wife Maren is the one under attack. Simple suggestions for coping with wartime measures lead Maren into an active role in the community, but her service doesn’t help deflect suspicion from her. Zealous patriots target her with a vengeance.
Peter caught the eye of a major who seems intent on using him as a spy. He’s been fortunate to avoid injury so far, but these activities are likely to get him killed. They dream of the day they will be reunited, but more and more, that day appears to be a mirage.
Terri Wangard grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, during the Lombardi Glory Years. Her first Girl Scout badge was the Writer. These days she is writing historical fiction, and won the 2013 Writers on the Storm contest and 2013 First Impressions, as well as being a 2012 Genesis finalist. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library science, she lives in Wisconsin. Her research included going for a ride in a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Classic Boating Magazine, a family business since 1984, keeps her busy as an associate editor.
In The Storm Breaks Forth, Peter Bloch is the son of German immigrants. His wife Maren is a recent immigrant who suffers from the frenzied World War I bigotry against Germans.
When I read your book, it also struck me how much our world today is like it was a century ago for German immigrants. It’s a wonder that you wrote the book before political rancor and a pandemic entered our world.
Thanks, Connie. Serendipity.