Promise to Cherish

August 11, 2014
In this Amish-themed historical, Younts tackles tough subjects against the backdrop of post-WWII America. Nurse Christine Freeman and Amish conscientious objector Eli Brenneman meet when Eli’s Civilian Public Service unit is stationed in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., at the psychiatric hospital where Christine works. At first, Christine—whose two brothers were killed in combat—resents Eli, perceiving his stance simply as a way to avoid the danger of the front lines. But when she sees his innate gentleness and compassion toward the hospital’s patients, she begins to care for him. After an old acquaintance rapes Christine and she becomes pregnant, Eli invites her to stay at his family’s home. Christine accepts, but she wonders whether she can truly be accepted in his community and worries that Eli will be shunned for welcoming an unwed pregnant stranger. Younts’s Amish background lends authenticity to the tale, informing the real and relatable characters in this fascinating glimpse into an often elided part of America’s history.

October 15, 2014
Eli Brenneman wants a fresh start away from his wild past and the Amish community in Sunrise, Delaware, and he finds his ticket out as a WWII conscientious objector serving in the Civilian Public Service camp. Christine Freeman is a nurse at the Hudson River State Hospital to which Eli is assigned, and when she becomes pregnant after being raped by a former flame, Eli invites her to return home with him to have the baby under the protection of Sunrise. As Eli tries to resolve his past battles with God and his family, Christine must decide what she's willing to do for a futureif anywith Eli and the Amish. As Younts (Promise to Return, 2013) continues her popular Promise of Sunrise series, she again poignantly illustrates Amish life during WWII and Amish participation in the Civilian Public Service. Her characters radiate lifelike warmth, and religious faith is woven seamlessly into their honest struggles. This deeply moving read reveals the truth about that era's state hospitals, treatment of unwed mothers, and prejudice toward Amish conscientious objectors.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)