Congratulations!!

We just received word that my father-in-law's second book, Caleb's Wars, has been accepted for publication--Hooray! Congratulations, Dave! :)

Chris and I are so excited about this book--it's a coming of age story of a young African American boy growing up in the rural South during the WWII era. I think very few Americans are aware of the important role African American soldiers and their families played in this war, including their many sacrifices and hardships, both at home and on the battlefield. As if fighting against Germans and Italians wasn't enough, these brave men also had to combat the racism that constantly plagued them within their own military units. And even though their sons and brothers fought and died side by side with white Americans in Europe, African American families still had to endure being treated less then human...even less than than Nazi POWs who were stationed at various internment camps in the U.S. That's what I find so difficult to swallow--these soldiers were risking their lives for our country...families were losing their children for our country...and yet, African Americans were still treated worse than the enemy soldiers who had slayed America's sons on the battlefront.

I had the chance to get a "sneak peak" before the draft was mailed to the publisher...I read it in a total of four hours. :) Just couldn't stop and do anything else until I finished. Hope you all one day do the same!

Congrats again, Dave! I can't wait to have the book in hand and read it again...and again! ;)

~ Amanda

P.S. For those of you who haven't had the chance to read Dave's first book, The Bicycle Man, here's the link to own your own copy:

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Man-David-L-Dudley/dp/0618542337/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219112532&sr=1-2

In 2006, it won the International Reading Association’s Book Award for children’s literature.