About the Book
Book: Unfit to Serve
Author: Sandra Bretting
Genre: Inspirational Historical
Release date: August 16, 2024
When the United States military adopts a newfangled test from France called the “intelligence quotient test” during the first world war, no one expects the turmoil that follows. Thousands of immigrants fail it and are forced to return to homelands devastated by war, disease, and famine.
For Josephine Pembrooke, the shy schoolmarm at Camp Travis in Texas, the problem quickly becomes apparent. How can soldiers pass a test they can’t even read? So, Jo labors in secret to create a better test. Knowing all along it can’t save the one soldier she’d hoped to help.
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To be perfectly honest when I picked up this book, I really wasn't looking forward to reading it because I was judging the book by the cover which you should never do as this book proved perfectly. "Unfit to Serve"was a really good book and I'm glad I got the chance to read it. This book had sad things happening in it, but it was real life As this book is based on real history of the IQ test that was given to American soldiers before entering the service. Both the male and female main characters change for the better in this novel, but neither one is bad before the change but I definitely like the main character better after he changed. He changed because of the accident that happened. I'll let you read the book and discover for yourself what that accident was. I would like to another book with these characters to find out what happened to the bad doctor. Well, I hope I perk your curiosity enough into picking up a copy and reading this book for yourself.
I received a complementary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit , and these opinions are my own.
About the Author
Sandra Bretting is the author of a bestselling cozy mystery series that ran for five years with Kensington Publishing, as well as three standalone mysteries and an inspirational memoir. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, she began her career writing for the Los Angeles Times, Orange Coast Magazine, and others. From 2006 until 2016, she wrote feature stories for the award-winning business section of the Houston Chronicle.
The second book in her mystery series earned the rank of Amazon Bestseller. Since making the switch to historical fiction, Bretting has garnered accolades for her first title, Unfit to Serve, which released in August 2024. The novel explores how the U.S. military brought the IQ test to America at the start of World War 1.
More from Sandra
Most people don’t know this, but the IQ test we’ve all heard about came to America during World War 1. French schoolteachers originally created it for their students more than a hundred years ago. Then the U.S. military found out about it, and the top brass thought they could use it to test recruits for their battle-readiness. There was only one problem: thousands of men failed it because they’d immigrated from overseas and couldn’t read the questions. They were loyal to the U.S., smart as whips, and physically capable, but they couldn’t pass a test they couldn’t read. In real life, it took the military a whole year to see the problem and come up with a better version for foreign recruits.
A whole year!
I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to those men who failed it, and how it affected their families. The recruits had come from countries devasted by famine, disease, and war, and they couldn’t go back. From there, the story evolved. I brought in a brave schoolteacher who sees the problem and struggles to fix it. Of course, being the early 1900s, women are supposed to be seen and not heard (like children) so she’s stonewalled at every turn. But she doesn’t stop. Josephine (Jo) knows that God cares about justice too, and she looks to Him for help when everything falls apart.
On a different level, I loved exploring the relationship between Jo and her stiff-lipped husband, Albigence. I purposefully moved this urban couple from a sophisticated university setting to a hot, dusty military base in San Antonio. There, they’re forced to rely on each other for the first time and fight for their marriage. It’s an unconventional love story, but a love story nonetheless.
In all my books, I strive to show how people can change for the better—or worse—depending on the situation, and that the best path forward is to trust God and His timing. He’s always perfect, even when we’re not. Thank goodness we can rely on Him!
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 11
Stories By Gina, November 12 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, November 12
Texas Book-aholic, November 13
lakesidelivingsite, November 14
Locks, Hooks and Books, November 15
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 16
Life on Chickadee Lane, November 17
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 18
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 19
For Him and My Family, November 20
Betti Mace, November 21
An Author’s Take, November 22
Artistic Nobody, November 23 (Author Interview)
Leslie’s Library Escape, November 23
Guild Master, November 24 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Sandra is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
9 comments:
Thank you for the nice review, Debbie!!
The history in this book intrigues me!
This looks like a fantastic read. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds like a good read.
I'm fascinated by books that are based on little-known events in history. This one looks great!
The true historical aspects of this book pique my curiosity.
Thank You for the review.
Marilyn
Thank you for the review
You are a new author to me. Unfit to Serve sounds like a great book.
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