A Real Whole Lot

Name: A Real Whole Lot
Price: £16.95 GBP
Author: Jacqueline A. Kane
ISBN: 9781543451191

A World War II Soldier’s Love Letters to His Wife

by Jacqueline A. Kane

Formats

Softcover

£16.95

Hardcover

£24.95

Softcover

£16.95

Book Details

Language : English

Publication Date : 20/11/2017

Format : Softcover

Dimensions : 6x9

Page Count : 268

ISBN : 9781543451191

Format : Hardcover

Dimensions : 6x9

Page Count : 268

ISBN : 9781543451184

About the Book

Upon their deaths, the love of Philip Gough Kane (Phil) and Jacqueline Norris Jones Kane (Jack) is revealed in some 200 transcribed v-mail and a dozen paper letters found by their daughter Jacqueline Kane while going through family papers. These letters provide a small glimpse of the author’s parent’s intense love for each other during the first four years of their marriage while they were separated during Phil’s time overseas during WWII. On the pages of this book are the letters written by this couple who strove to communicate with each other during their separation at this unforgettable historical moment.

About the Author

Dr. Jacqueline A. Kane (Dr. Jackie) is a non-fiction writer, public speaker, and consultant. A graduate of Morgan State University with a bachelor of arts degree. Jacqueline also holds a PH.D. in sociology from the University of New York at Albany. Known as “Dr. Jackie,” she is currently CEO of Kane Consulting and Coaching, LLC after an extensive career as a higher education administrator with the New York State Education Department where she worked with colleges and universities administering and developing programs to serve and support students. Her experience includes being a caseworker and counselor. Dr. Jackie has also taught undergraduate and graduate course on women's issues. Kane Consulting and Coaching, LLC provides coaching and consulting services to individuals achieve higher levels and higher education institutions manage mission change. Dr. Jackie was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. She is the oldest of three children born to Philip Gough Kane and Jacqueline Jones Kane. She is active in numerous community and professional organizations, including the Association of Black Women in Higher Education, Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She also involved in a peer-to-peer counseling program to support participants to be fully themselves living full lives. Dr. Jackie has numerous interests but is especially interested in empowerment, self-actualization, health, and wellness.

Editorial Reviews

During WWII, American soldiers stationed overseas could send letters home via Victory or “V-mail,” an expedited postal service that combined stationery and microfilm. A Real Whole Lot collects love letters Jacqueline A. Kane’s father Phil sent home to her mother after he was called to serve following Pearl Harbor, offering a glimpse of wartime romance.

Kane prefaces the book by describing how, as a child, she’d hide in a closet behind two big brown grocery bags. These bags contained the letters transcribed here. Phil’s letters to Jacqueline (“Jack”) range from newsy to amorous. (The title refers to his habit of signing off with variations of “I love you a real whole lot.”) A few letters and diary entries from her mother are included, but most were lost or discarded.

Restrained from sharing any information about wartime duties, his half of the conversation is chatty (“I bought another fountain pen, and it writes like this. Or is it myself who writes like this?”) and often romantic (“With all my might, I am forever yours, sweetheart”). The few responses we see from Jack are focused on family, the weather, and boosting his morale.

Unfortunately, the one-sided nature of the letters cuts readers out of a true conversation. And readers are likely to tire of insignificant insider talk, such as, “I’d like to read Aunt Georgia’s poem. How are she and Uncle Rob coming along?” Anyone looking for the raw emotions of a soldier facing difficult duty won’t find it here.

That said, A Real Whole Lot is a portrait of a loving, young couple just beginning their lives together as a turning point in American history put all their plans on hold. It will certainly be treasured by family members and may find some interest as an historical document. In fact, Kane notes in the preface that Morgan State University will be archiving her mother’s papers.

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