Remembering You (32 page)

I was amazed by Hana’s story and told her I knew one medic. Maybe he remembered who that man was. I gave Hana his contact information and soon heard the good news. My friend LeRoy “Pete” Petersohn was the medic who’d saved her life! The two were soon reunited. After all these years Hana was able to look into the eyes of the man who saved her and to thank him. After all these years Pete was able to meet the woman he saved. “Baby!” he called out when he met her.

Eighty-first Medical Battalion vehicle on the snowy road to Houffalize

In the ten years since I began interviewing these veterans, most have passed away. Some of them—realizing their days on earth were coming to an end—returned to Europe one last time with their family members to walk along paths they’d never forgotten. Those trips inspired this novel.

Remembering You
is a work of fiction, but the experiences of the men are true. The experiences of Ava are also true-to-life. I was busy with life when God pointed me to an amazing story and to even more amazing men. I’m so thankful I took time to listen and care. I’m so thankful I allowed these men to share what—and whom—they remembered most.

Thankful for those who’ve come before us,

Tricia Goyer

Questions for Discussion

1.   What are some of the major themes of this book?

2.   Do you have a family member who served in World War II? Does this novel change your thoughts about his or her experiences? In what way?

3.   What is one thing you learned about World War II that surprised you?

4.   How did the war affect Grandpa Jack and Grand-Paul? Do you think those effects are typical among World War II veterans?

5.   Throughout the book Ava wants to help Grandpa Jack reconnect with someone he met during the war. Would you have done the same thing as Ava? Why or why not?

6.   How do you think the story would have been different if it had been written from Grandpa Jack’s point of view?

7.   If you were to meet a World War II veteran, what questions would you ask?

8.   Have you ever been to Europe? How does your view of Europe change when seeing it through the eyes of veterans who fought there?

9.   What is unique about the relationships in this novel? Which relationship touched your heart the most?

10.   How does the relationship between Ava and Grandpa Jack change or evolve through the course of this story?

11.   Do you think Ava made the right choice in opening her heart to Dennis?

12.   How was Ava and Dennis’s relationship different the second time around?

13.   How do the characters change spiritually? Do you find those changes to be realistic?

14.   What is the one thing that’s lingered with you after you put down this book?

15.   Have you read some of the author’s other books? How is this story similar? How is it different?

About the Author

TRICIA GOYER is an award-winning author of fourteen novels, many of them set during the World War II era. She has interviewed more than one hundred war veterans to make her stories come alive for her readers. Among her published historical novels are
Night Song
, which won ACFW’s 2005 Carol Award for Long Historical Romance, and
Dawn of a Thousand Nights
, which won the same award in 2006. She has also authored nine nonfiction books and more than three hundred articles for national publications. In 2003, Tricia was one of two authors named “Writer of the Year” at the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference, and she has been interviewed by
Focus on the Family
,
Moody Mid-Day
C
onnection
,
The Harvest Show
,
NBC’s Monday Today
,
Aspiring Women
, and hundreds of other radio and television stations. Tricia and her husband, John, have four children and live in Arkansas.