Dr Smith has written an incredible testament to human faith, while interweaving a provocative message about the impact on society of the eugenics movement, its origins, and what it has morphed into. Even without the eugenics component, this book would have been a compelling read about airmen who went to war and sacrificed greatly.
Because Dr. Smith instilled such a strong sense of character and personality into this work, I have no doubt that this book holds great personal meaning for him. Readers are bound to recognize this as they immerse themselves in the stories about these WWII airmen and their families. They are so engaging. I especially appreciated learning what happened to some of the men who endured so much in service to their country.
Though I am on the young end of the baby boom generation, I have an 80-something friend who landed on Normandy Beach and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He frequently shares stories from those days, and I look forward to giving him a copy of your book when it is published. Another friend, an elderly French Jew who made it into his eighties, died just last month. Over the years he also shared stories of his experiences as a prisoner at Auschwitz, where he was taken at the age of thirteen. The tattooed number on his arm may have faded some over the years, but it was unmistakable on the day he died.
Your book resonated with me in part because of those two friendships, but also because of the timeliness of your message about eugenics. Those who preach about the “unfit” and “undesirables” are not to be underestimated; unchecked, they could gain fearsome support and momentum.
I am greatly impressed with your ability to move seamlessly from scenes of battlefield horrors to historical accounts of the development of public policies that brought us to war and continue to keep us embattled socially and politically. You make excellent transitions with scenarios that are colorful and dramatic. The only problem readers will have is that they won’t be able to put your book down; they will want to try to read it beginning to end in one sitting.
Darwin’s War
Science, Politics, Warfare, Faith, and Sacrifice
The 416th Bomb Group’s Sacrifices to Defeat Eugenics