Official Review: Immigrant Soldier by K. Lang-Slattery

[Misael Carlos]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Immigrant Soldier" by K. Lang-Slattery.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The story begins in 1938 where the Nazis make life frightening and uncertain in Germany by arresting Jewish men and burning synagogues to the ground. Young Herman Lang escapes to England intending to migrate to the United States. He promises to himself he will not return until the German ruler is gone. Will Herman succeed in a foreign country? Will his bloodlines be a hindrance to his determination to join the fight against the Nazis? The Immigrant Soldier by K. Lang-Slattery presents a young man's intense need to defend his country and free his motherland from an evil ruler.

The novel presented different types of relationships. It showed the love of family and country. It conveyed the importance of friendship. Likewise, it was a search for someone to share life with amidst the turbulent times in history. There were flashbacks of Herman's childhood as the story progressed. These flashbacks did not distract me from the story but provided more insights into Herman's behavior. Lang-Slattery presented a character who knew what he wanted and pursued them with enviable focus and fervor. From the start, Herman's character came off as kind-hearted and loving. Despite his almost obsessive hatred of Hitler, these qualities stayed until the end of the novel.

Herman's story transported me to that period when Hitler was out to eliminate Jews from the planet. This historical fiction brought back intense feelings against the atrocities Hitler committed during his evil rule. It brought back deep sadness as well when I thought of the million deaths under his regime. I could not recall the number of times I paused my reading just to relax and calm myself due to the emotions they evoked.

It was easy to visualize Herman's anxiety as his documents were being checked by a Nazi; his worried face as he was being held at a US border after enjoying a trip to Mexico and his first intimate connection with his lover. I could picture Herman driving a huge truck in the snow-covered Rocky Mountains transporting heavy artillery. I felt the tension as Herman spied on Germans and almost got caught. These images were made possible due to the author's amazing narrative.

The Immigrant Soldier is an informative and educative novel. I learned about the famous Camp Ritchie, a top-secret US facility. It was exciting to know how the training was conducted for such a famous unit. The author has wonderfully interwoven Herman’s story into the horrific war. It was good to know what Article Number Five of the Geneva Conventions meant. I learned some German terms: I did not think I would obtain this opportunity. Truth to tell, this book provided learning not only about war but about what transpired after its end as well.

There were minimal grammatical errors, mainly about unnecessary spaces between words. Apparently, a proofreading tool was utilized.

The Immigrant Soldier by K. Lang-Slattery is an enjoyable, well-researched book. The minimal grammatical errors led me to believe the book was professionally edited, providing a smooth reading experience. Thus, I give it 4 out of 4 stars.

If you like a novel where war is the main plot, this is for you. If you are sensitive to heavy themes like anti-Semitism, violence and death, look elsewhere.

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Immigrant Soldier
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