Against the Wind (31 page)

8.   Elisa says, “My friendship with Irish actress Mariah Fitzgerald and the Spanish flamenco dancer Raquel Esperanza was first forged in flames of the Blitz and later sealed on the high seas of the North Atlantic” (
p. 43
). How does living through crises knit people’s hearts together? When have you developed an unlikely friendship as a result of going through a difficult time? What has each of you gained from the experience? Tell the story.

9.   Elisa says, “I remember Christmas past in our beautiful home in Berlin. Music and laughter. Snow falling on the ground. A whispered secret and knowing glances. The scents of pastries and the Christmas goose filling our house. The midnight chiming of the tall old clock in our foyer” (
p. 51
). What special memories do you have of Christmas, or other holidays in your home growing up? What childhood traditions do you still carry on, and why are those traditions, in particular, important to you?

10. “I wonder sometimes if God is asleep. Why has He been silent? Why do my prayers go unanswered?” Elisa asks when her Papa disappears, and there is no word of his fate for a long time (
p. 79
). Have you ever wondered the same thing—if God is asleep or silent? Why He doesn’t answer your prayers? If so, in what situation(s)? What have you learned about yourself, God, and faith as you’ve waited for answers?

11. Why do you think Miss Pike is so disapproving of Elisa and the way she handles the girls onboard ship? Have you faced a personality like Miss Pike’s in your own life? If so, how have you handled that disapproval? How might looking at that person with a long-range perspective—and a sense of humor—help you from becoming discouraged?

12. What about Lindy’s character and personality makes her so special to Elisa and to others? How might you develop the sensitivity to see others in a different way? to feel what others feel? Give an example of one way you could exhibit Lindy character and personality traits this week…and then follow through on that action.

13. Lindy asks Elisa to write a postscript on her letter to her mum—a promise that Elisa will look after Lindy. Elisa is heartbroken when she can’t keep her promise. Have you ever failed to keep a promise? How did that make you feel?

14. “I thought of Otto Wattenbarger and his brother, Franz—how what had come upon us was tearing families, cities, the whole world apart. I remembered the place where Franz had shown me that two snowflakes, identical in every way, could fall mere inches apart. Yet one would melt to flow south into light and warmth while the other would join the black uniforms, the marching rivers of the north.

“The division of families and hearts is that clear…and that permanent” (
p. 141
).

Have you and a loved one ever been divided in heart over an issue? What was the issue, and what sides did each of you take? Have you ever reconciled over that issue? Why or why not?

15. “You know,” Lindy says, “maybe Mister Barrett will write about us when he gets to Hollywood. Heroic British youth escape from bombing to adventure on the high seas. What do you think?”

“I think Mister Barrett doesn’t think much of the high seas,” Nan observed.

“He’ll be better soon,” I offered. “But if our adventure is merely about how well they feed us, there may not be much to write about” (
p. 145
).

How does Elisa and the girls’ journey end up quite different from the one they’ve imagined it would be? If you were one of the girls, writing about what you learned on your lifeboat, after the sinking of the
Newcastle,
what would you say? When has a journey of yours ended up differently than you expected? Tell the story. What elements of your surprising journey are ones that you can pass on as significant lessons for the next generation?

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

BODIE and BROCK THOENE
(pronounced
Tay-nee)
have written over sixty works of historical fiction. That these best sellers have sold more than twenty million copies and won eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards affirms what millions of readers have already discovered—that the Thoenes are not only master stylists but experts at capturing readers’ minds and hearts.

In their timeless classic series about Israel (The Zion Chronicles, The Zion Covenant, The Zion Legacy), the Thoenes’ love for both story and research shines. With The Shiloh Legacy and
Shiloh Autumn
(poignant portrayals of the American Depression), The Galway Chronicles (dramatic stories of the 1840s famine in Ireland), and the Legends of the West (gripping tales of adventure and danger in a land without law), the Thoenes have made their mark in modern history. In the A.D. Chronicles they step seamlessly into the world of Jerusalem and Rome, in the days when Yeshua walked the earth. Now the Zion Diaries cover the time period between their best-selling Zion Covenant series (1936–1940) and Zion Chronicles series (1947–1948). “These timeless tales are the missing pieces of the lives of some of the most beloved characters from our Zion Chronicles and Zion Covenant series,” the Thoenes say. “Their compelling stories of courage and love chronicle the darkest of times, when good seemed lost, but God’s Truth stood firm and shone as a beacon in the midst of Hitler’s evil. Based on decades of interviews and divine encounters, the Zion Diaries are our most up-close and personal books ever.”

Bodie, who has degrees in journalism and communications, began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as
U.S. News and World Report, The American West,
and
The Saturday Evening Post.
She also worked for John Wayne’s Batjac Productions and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as “a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!”

Long intrigued by the personal accounts of history, and the romantic and often mysterious stories based in Hawaii, Bodie has also authored
Love Finds You in Lahaina, Hawaii.
“There, the past and the present overlap through the lives of elders sharing their memories,” Bodie says. “When I met an old Hawaiian woman who was making
leis
in the shade of Lahaina’s banyan tree, I was entranced by her photos—and her personal remembrances of Princess Kaiulani. The rumors she shared shed new light on the old story, as if Romeo and Juliet had a happy ending. As she told me the legends and the romance, I knew I must write it one day.”

Brock has often been described by Bodie as “an essential half of this writing team.” With degrees in both history and education, Brock has, in his role of researcher and story-line consultant, added the vital dimension of historical accuracy. Due to such careful research, the Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles series are recognized by the American Library Association, as well as Zionist libraries around the world, as classic historical novels and are used to teach history in college classrooms.

Bodie and her husband, Brock, have four grown children—Rachel, Jake, Luke, and Ellie—and seven grandchildren. Their children are carrying on the Thoene family talent as the next generation of writers, and Luke produces the Thoene audio books. Bodie and Brock divide their time between Hawaii, London, and Nevada.

www.thoenebooks.com
|
www.summersidepress.com
www.familyaudiolibrary.com

T
HOENE
F
AMILY
C
LASSICS
™

THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC HISTORICALS

By Bodie and Brock Thoene

Gold Medallion Winners*

THE ZION COVENANT

Vienna Prelude*
Prague Counterpoint
Munich Signature
Jerusalem Interlude
Danzig Passage
Warsaw Requiem*
London Refrain
Paris Encore
Dunkirk Crescendo

THE ZION CHRONICLES

The Gates of Zion*
A Daughter of Zion
The Return to Zion
A Light in Zion
The Key to Zion*

THE SHILOH LEGACY

In My Father’s House*
A Thousand Shall Fall
Say to This Mountain

SHILOH AUTUMN

THE GALWAY CHRONICLES

Only the River Runs Free*
Of Men and of Angels
Ashes of Remembrance*
All Rivers to the Sea

THE ZION LEGACY

Jerusalem Vigil
Thunder from Jerusalem
Jerusalem’s Heart
Jerusalem Scrolls
Stones of Jerusalem
Jerusalem’s Hope

A.D. CHRONICLES

First Light
Second Touch
Third Watch
Fourth Dawn
Fifth Seal
Sixth Covenant
Seventh Day
Eighth Shepherd
Ninth Witness
Tenth Stone
Eleventh Guest
Twelfth Prophecy

ZION DIARIES

The Gathering Storm
Against the Wind

THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC ROMANCE

By Bodie Thoene

Love Finds You in Lahaina, Hawaii

THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC AMERICAN LEGENDS

LEGENDS OF THE WEST

By Brock and Bodie Thoene

Legends of the West, Volume One

Sequoia Scout
The Year of the Grizzly
Shooting Star

Legends of the West Volume Two

Gold Rush Prodigal
Delta Passage
Hangtown Lawman

Legends of the West, Volume Three

Hope Valley War
The Legend of Storey County
Cumberland Crossing

Legends of the West, Volume Four

The Man from Shadow Ridge
Cannons of the Comstock
Riders of the Silver Rim

LEGENDS OF VALOR

by Jake Thoene and Luke Thoene

Sons of Valor
Brothers of Valor
Fathers of Valor

THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC CONTEMPORARY

by Bodie, Brock, and Luke Thoene

Icon

THOENE CLASSIC NONFICTION

by Bodie and Brock Thoene

LITTLE BOOKS OF WHY

Why a Manger?
Why a Shepherd?
Why a Star?
Why a Crown?

Writer-to-Writer

THOENE FAMILY CLASSIC SUSPENSE

by Jake Thoene

CHAPTER 16 SERIES

Shaiton’s Fire
Firefly Blue
Fuel the Fire

THOENE FAMILY CLASSICS FOR KIDS

SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE BAKER STREET DETECTIVES

by Jake Thoene and Luke Thoene

The Mystery of the Yellow Hands
The Giant Rat of Sumatra
The Jeweled Peacock of Persia
The Thundering Underground

LAST CHANCE DETECTIVES

by Jake Thoene and Luke Thoene

Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa
Legend of the Desert Bigfoot

THE VASE OF MANY COLORS