Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers

January 1, 2018
Ackerman's WWII novel is a close-up look at how wartime chaos affects a tight-knit group of women living on Hawaii in 1944 at the height of Pacific combat. As told through the eyes of Violet Iverson and her daughter Ella, the war touches the Iverson family in an unusual way: through the mysterious disappearance of Herman, Violet's husband. As Violet and Ella search for answers about Herman's disappearance, the ongoing war interrupts with new tensions. The residents of their once-sleepy Hawaiian community begin to turn on each other, divided by race when Japanese neighbors are sent to internment camps. The arrival of American soldiers brings even more activity, enforcing curfews and running drills on the island terrain. But some of the soldiers' disruptions are welcome, as families reunite and life is celebrated. One soldier in particularhandsome and earnest Sergeant Stonepresents the opportunity of new love for Violet. Her journey overcoming her trials and grief through friendship, family, and romance is a story of strength and perseverance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

September 15, 2017

In World War II Hawaii, as American troops swoop in and members of the territory's large Japanese population suffer internment, Violet Iverson decides to open a pie stand with friend Jean to keep the soldiers happily fed. A bighearted marine helps her when she's regarded with suspicion owing to her husband's disappearance, but who knows where his generosity will lead. With an 80,000-copy first printing.

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