I’ve Always Loved You Reviewed By Amy Lignor Of Bookpleasures.com
By Amy Lignor Published December 18, 2009 Biographies & Memoirs
Amy Lignor
Reviewer Amy Lignor: Amy is the author of a historical fiction novel entitled The Heart of a Legend, and Mind Made, a work of science fiction. Presently, she is writing an adventure series set in the New York Public Library, as well as a teen fiction series, The Angel Chronicles. She is an avid traveler and has been fortunate to have journeyed across the USA, where she has met the most amazing people, who truly bring life and soul to her books. She lives in the Land of Enchantment (for now) with her gorgeous daughter, Shelby, her wonderful Mom, Mary, and the greatest friend and critic in the entire world - her dog, Reuben
View all articles by Amy Lignor
Author: Ann Seymour
ISBN: 978-0-915090-82-2
Every once in a while, a book will come along that gives you a whole new perspective on things. Now, I am too young to have been through the horrific time of WWII. (However, I am also not part of a generation that has grown up with no “war”, seeing as that there never has been a time where we haven’t fought to, for, or against something or someone.) But…I digress. And I digress for the simple fact that this book is so much more than your requisite war story. This book not only spoke to my head, giving me an in-depth look at the decisions and atrocities that led up to WWII, but, more importantly, it touched my heart, because this was a very good book that was dedicated to a very great man.
Ann Seymour, the author, leads us into her most prized-memories – her time with her father. I was immediately involved at the get-go when ‘Daddy’ was on the beach massaging Mommy’s shoulders and singing to his daughter, Ann. This was a family were young and in love, and excited about the future. Then, I was brought to Thanksgiving Dinner, enjoying the holidays with the small family as they spoke about the strange goings-on in Japan and the press that was building at home. “On December 17th, Daddy’s orders arrived.” That’s the line that hit me right between the eyes; a simple phrase, but one that means a great deal. From that moment on, I began to hope, pray, and beg that this family would come through the “other end” of the fight intact and still very much in love.
There are moments of pure bliss in this story when Mommy sits around with her neighborhood friends and they talk about all the ‘wins’ the Allies are having – how the United State and good old MacArthur are winning battles left and right. Then, I get to see the family reunited while Daddy is on leave. And I can feel my heart break when Daddy is driven to “Oakland’s Spanish-Colonial style train depot” and has to once again say goodbye to his girls.
Ms. Seymour does an excellent job giving us the “other side” as well. We are brought into chapters that show us the way of life in Japan - what decisions were being made and how big the egos were growing. Most books like this one are heavily based on and written as history books, giving the background more than the emotion. I am honored, proud, and grateful to the author for giving the reader, me, so much more than what I could read in textbooks.
Frank Ribbel, “Daddy”, is the epitome of hero, husband, and honorable man. There were so many ‘Frank Ribbel’s’ who lost their lives in WWII, thatwe sometimes forget that they weren’t just names inscribed on a monument, or actors in a heroic movie – they were first, foremost, and forever…“Daddy’s.”
Amy Lignor
Reviewer Amy Lignor: Amy is the author of a historical fiction novel entitled The Heart of a Legend, and Mind Made, a work of science fiction. Presently, she is writing an adventure series set in the New York Public Library, as well as a teen fiction series, The Angel Chronicles. She is an avid traveler and has been fortunate to have journeyed across the USA, where she has met the most amazing people, who truly bring life and soul to her books. She lives in the Land of Enchantment (for now) with her gorgeous daughter, Shelby, her wonderful Mom, Mary, and the greatest friend and critic in the entire world - her dog, Reuben
View all articles by Amy Lignor
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
My Friend Andrea kent on Being 23 Years Old
"I was already 23. This is a great age, and I'm sticking with it 'til I die. You're old enough to drink and sign contracts, but you're still so young that if you do well people will think you're a prodigy, and if you do badly you can run back to Mom and Dad so they can help you. You can stamp your little foot and point out to everyone that you're an adult and can do whatever you want, but you're young enough so you can bat your eyelashes at the authorities and say stupidly, "Oh my God, you mean that's not deductible? Oh, wow, I'm like so incredibly sorry, I didn't know, I like never tried to like fill out a tax return before. Please don't be mad, okay?""
Saturday, December 5, 2009
From Marilyn Wagner
Hi Ann,
I've Always Loved You was a catalyst to fascinating conversations pertaining to WWII. At age four, Germany and Japan were faraway places that existed somewhere in Outer Space, but I was too young to comprehend what was going on other than "something bad." Every night Father walked the neighborhood to ascertain that dark-out shades were pulled. Father was too old to be drafted. Search lights flooded the night skies over Burbank, scanning for enemy planes and probably missiles. I understand several parachute-carried weapons reached the West Coast, but their existence was top secret.
After WWII there was angst in Asia toward the Japanese, as might be expected, but episodes of hatred continue into current time. Learning about Dr. Ishi's torture of victims was an eye opener. Years ago I gave a lecture in Princeton, NJ on a subject related to California history. Prior to the lecture a woman who was born in China telephoned me with invective towards Japan that stunned me. She ranted on and on about the Rape of Nanking and all the things done to the Chinese. I was totally in the dark. My topic included Nisei. The woman demanded that I denounce Japan. This was 1990... not 1945!
The father of one of my friends was an inventor of the P-38 that shot down Yamamoto. A team of engineers worked on the P-38 in Burbank. Bob's father went on to design the Constellation, but died of a heart attack at an early age in 1957, right after we graduated from high school. Bob went on to be a creative genius who invented the heart clip among many other innovations. Burbank was filled with brilliant minds. The Skunk Works at Lockheed was top secret. Not even the wives of employees working there had any idea of new products evolving. Another classmate's father was on the team that invented the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane ever. His daughter (my classmate) invented Fortran, an early computer language, for Lockheed. Burbank was a key part of winning the war, a bastion of brilliant minds.
Your book has marvelous value as a reference on the war. After my book was published, Berkeley's library contacted me for insertion in their archives. Yours should be there, too.
I've Always Loved You was a catalyst to fascinating conversations pertaining to WWII. At age four, Germany and Japan were faraway places that existed somewhere in Outer Space, but I was too young to comprehend what was going on other than "something bad." Every night Father walked the neighborhood to ascertain that dark-out shades were pulled. Father was too old to be drafted. Search lights flooded the night skies over Burbank, scanning for enemy planes and probably missiles. I understand several parachute-carried weapons reached the West Coast, but their existence was top secret.
After WWII there was angst in Asia toward the Japanese, as might be expected, but episodes of hatred continue into current time. Learning about Dr. Ishi's torture of victims was an eye opener. Years ago I gave a lecture in Princeton, NJ on a subject related to California history. Prior to the lecture a woman who was born in China telephoned me with invective towards Japan that stunned me. She ranted on and on about the Rape of Nanking and all the things done to the Chinese. I was totally in the dark. My topic included Nisei. The woman demanded that I denounce Japan. This was 1990... not 1945!
The father of one of my friends was an inventor of the P-38 that shot down Yamamoto. A team of engineers worked on the P-38 in Burbank. Bob's father went on to design the Constellation, but died of a heart attack at an early age in 1957, right after we graduated from high school. Bob went on to be a creative genius who invented the heart clip among many other innovations. Burbank was filled with brilliant minds. The Skunk Works at Lockheed was top secret. Not even the wives of employees working there had any idea of new products evolving. Another classmate's father was on the team that invented the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane ever. His daughter (my classmate) invented Fortran, an early computer language, for Lockheed. Burbank was a key part of winning the war, a bastion of brilliant minds.
Your book has marvelous value as a reference on the war. After my book was published, Berkeley's library contacted me for insertion in their archives. Yours should be there, too.
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