All God's Children (Peacemakers)

From Publishers Weekly In this first installment of the Peacemakers trilogy, Schmidt introduces protagonist Beth Bridgewater. An American Quaker, Beth is a pacifist, as are the aunt and uncle she lives with in Nazi Germany in the early 1940s. Beth's uncle, a professor at the university in Munich, opens up the family's attic room to a former student, Josef Buch. Josef, the son of a high-ranking Gestapo agent, has returned from the front to finish his medical studies, but the family questions his reasons for wanting to live with them. As Uncle Franz and Beth begin to trust Josef, the three become involved in antigovernment covert activities that, while solidifying Beth and Josef's relationship, endanger the entire family. The activities of the White Rose resistance group, as well as the prisoner uprising at the Sobibor concentration camp, are more than simple historical context. Schmidt seamlessly integrates these actual events, and the courageous real-life individuals who fought against Hitler's regime, with her fictional characters and their story, to produce a strong tale of hope and love in the face of insurmountable obstacles. Agent: Natasha Kern Literary Agency. (Sept.) The activities of the White Rose resistance group, as well as the prisoner uprising at the Sobibor concentration camp, are more than simple historical context. Schmidt seamlessly integrates these actual events, and the courageous real-life individuals who fought against Hitler’s regime, with her fictional characters and their story to produce a strong tale of hope and love in the face of insurmountable obstacles. ― Publisher's Weekly Published On: 2013-07-22The first in the Peacemakers trilogy is an exceptionally well-written story that shows the atrocities of war. Set in Munich during WWII, it chronicles characters on a life changing journey. The writing is vivid and depicts the time and places accurately. While the story of Beth and Josef seems to come to and end, we get the feeling more is yet to come for them and others in this heart-wrenching story of love, forgiveness, and perseverance. Readers will await the second and third books in the series. -- Michele Hagenlock ― RT Book Reviews Published On: 2013-09-01The author did a phenomenal job of describing Germany in the early 1940s and what it was like there after the war. Ms. Schmidt leaves you feeling as if you are joining the characters in the story, and you will be truly entertained and blessed as you read All God’s Children . -- Joy Hannabass ― Readers' Favorite Published On: 2013-09-10 Book Description As World War II erupts, Beth Bridgewater, a Quaker pacifist, and Josef Buch, a passionate German Patriot, join together in nonviolent resistance of the Nazis—and in love. Does their love stand a chance in the midst of such evil. . .if they even survive at all? For Beth, a dream turns into a nightmare. . . Living in Munich with her relatives was supposed to result in a dream fulfilled. Instead, Beth Bridgewater, a German American, finds herself in a nightmare as World War II erupts―a war in which she takes no side, for she is a Quaker pacifist. Apprehension rises in the household of Beth’s Uncle Franz and Aunt Ilse, and the presence of Josef Buch only adds to it. Josef seems a good man, a passionately patriotic German and a medical student who rents the attic space above Beth’s uncle’s apartment, but his father is a high-ranking government official. Could Josef be spying on them? Just as she gains opportunity to escape Germany, Beth decides to stay, feeling called to help the helpless. And Josef is becoming involved in his own secret ways of resisting the Nazis. . . . Despite differing motivation and beliefs, Beth and Josef join together in nonviolent resistance, and they cannot deny the spark between them. But in the midst of such evil does their love stand a chance. . .if they even survive at all? Anna Schmidtxa0is the author of over twenty works of fiction. Among her many honors, Anna is the recipient of Romantic Times ’ Reviewer’s Choice Award and a finalist for the RITA award for romantic fiction. She enjoys gardening and collecting seashells at her winter home in Florida. Read more