The Heart Mender: Book Review

This book was a perfect read for Memorial Day Weekend Author Andy Andrews left me captivated, inspired, and mesmerized yet again.. Andy Andrews's intent was to dig up the old and deadened wax myrtle tree that resided on his waterfront home in Orange Beach, Alabama. However, after discovery of an old vegetable can full of German/Nazi artifacts, Andrews was simply left digging for the facts that could tell the story behind the buried treasures.. I was enthralled by the last sentence of the first chapter: "why on earth was a picture of Adolf Hitler buried in my backyard?" The Heart Mender takes you back to the summer of 1942 in WWII America in the Gulf of Mexico- where German submarines were sinking US Vessels carrying goods and fuel for the war. The loss of ships and servicemen were growing in number as U-Boats destroyed more than 800 vessels in America. Helen Mason was married at the tender age of 23 to her true love, Captain Mason, and was widowed by the age of 24 as results of the war. She grew lonely and bitter and harvested her hatred. The author writes, "Helen's heartache became resentment that she nourished like a baby feeding it a steady diet of newspaper reports and radio broadcasts about war in Europe. She hated Britain for involving her husband and America for letting him go- her loathing rage was reserved for Germany- the monsters who killed her husband and destroyed her life." That excerpt captures how we do nurture and harvest our own hatred- and then this book will lead you to question what are you going to do about it? I love how Andrews spices the story up with a dash of direction ..... " There are no hopeless situations sweetheart, only people who have grown hopeless about them." " We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it." and the underlying message of forgiveness.... " your only hope is to forgive- to forgive is to set a prisoner free .. only to discover the prisoner was you." WOW! Powerful, inspirational- words that move off of the page and in to your heart!! So, What would you do if a man who was the enemy washed ashore at your very feet? The enemy responsible for killing your husband- the enemy who had caused heartache, hatred and left you widowed and heart broken? What would you do if you were given the opportunity to be face to face with an injured German enemy who was shot and left to die- not only an enemy of the United States of America but an enemy of your very own heart- This book is a must read- between the cover you will find a love story, a war story, history, a mystery, heartaches, adventures, death, life and life after death..... a story of second chances. In salute of Memorial Day - I would say this book earns the fifty stars of our American flag- it unveils the freedom of forgivness - as we are one nation under God !