Seven Wings to Glory

(Hardback, Large Print Edition)

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Description

Johnnie Kitchen is finally living her dream, attending college and writing a column for the local paper. She adores her husband Dale and chocolate Labrador Brother Dog, and they reside in a comfortable home in the small town of Portion in North Texas. Their three children are thriving and nearly grown. But Johnnie is rattled when her youngest boy Cade goes to fight in Afghanistan. The less frequent his emails, the more she frets for his safety. On the home front, Johnnie learns that Portion is not the forward-thinking town she believed. A boy Cade's age, inflamed by a liberal bumper sticker and the sight of Johnnie's black friend Whit, attacks them with the N-word and a beer bottle. After Johnnie writes about the incident in her column, a man named Roosevelt reaches out with shameful stories from Portion's untold history. More tears and triumphs will follow, as Johnnie's eyes are opened to man's capacity for hate and the power of love and forgiveness. The sequel to Johnnie Come Lately.

Reviews

Seven Wings to Glory is "full of elements that draw the reader in. [....] You will like the conscientious Johnnie and her friends and family so much that when you close the book, you might even seek out the first novel in the series, just so you don't have to say goodbye."

--Lisa Shirah-Hiers for Story Circle Book Reviews

Seven Wings to Glory "masterfully weaves the story of the Kitchen family, capturing a vivid snapshot of the American South."

--"On the Shelves" library feature, Eastern New Mexico News

"Seven Wings to Glory humorously captures the gamut of emotions common to military families dealing with deployments, homecomings, and the struggle to make everyday living as routine as their civilian counterparts. Kathleen M. Rodgers, herself a military wife and mom, expertly characterizes the soaring pride and gripping fear of life in the military. Set against a backdrop of racial discord, Seven Wings to Glory will make its mark on readers, ensuring they never forget that as long as one of us is denied freedom there can be no true freedom for the rest of us."

--Karen Spears Zacharias author of Burdy (Mercer University Press).

"A nuanced portrayal of military connectedness.... Rodgers writes convincingly of relationships, foibles and struggles. Johnnie's worry over her son is particularly tangible, informed by Rodgers' experiences as the mother of a deployed soldier.... In Seven Wings to Glory, the author has created a satisfying story, one that reveals the variety of military family experiences."

--Terri Barnes for Stars and Stripes

"From the start of Seven Wings to Glory, Kathleen Rodgers skillfully shows how no town is small enough and no family perfect enough to be outside the reach of war, racism, and the heartbreak life hands out on a regular basis to all those who love. She especially shines when she gives us a young man who could easily have been seen as a villain but is much more complex than that and requires more from the central characters and his small town than they may be prepared to give. With this wonderful sequel to her novel, Johnnie Come Lately, Rodgers opens the reader's eyes and heart."

--Elizabeth Marro, author of Casualties

"I really loved Seven Wings to Glory! Kathleen M. Rodgers has the gift of making you care deeply about her characters, and in this sequel to Johnnie Come Lately she explores some important issues: Johnnie's son is serving in the military in Afghanistan, and back home, Johnnie is dealing with the impacts of racism on her friends and her town. I had a hard time putting this book down until I reached the end!"

--Deborah Kalb, author of George Washington and the Magic Hat and Haunting Legacy, co-authored with Marvin Kalb

"I was so happy to be reunited with the 'Lois Lane of Portion, Texas, ' again--Johnnie Kitchen--in Seven Wings to Glory. Kathleen M. Rodgers writes so sensitively about Johnnie and her family that I find myself growing truly devoted to them, eager to share in their joys, their laughs, fears, their very real losses. Johnnie and Dale's worry over their son Cade's combat deployment is realistically and carefully wrought, and her distress over a sudden resurgence of racism in her hometown brought out my fighting spirit right alongside hers. Of course, because this is Johnnie Kitchen, the story unfolds with equal parts grit, humor, and generosity, with unforgettable characters to meet along the way. I adore the flawed, imperfect, deeply loving, and tough-as-nails Kitchen family: I would read a hundred books about them, and I will read anything Kathleen M. Rodgers writes."

--Andria Williams, author of The Longest Night and founder of Military Spouse Book Review

"Johnnie Kitchen is the kind of character all fiction writers dream of creating. Kathleen Rodgers is a master at writing women's fiction and proves it in her new novel, Seven Wings to Glory. A rich, timely story of love and strength."

--Ann Hite, award-winning author of Sleeping Above Chaos, fourth novel in the Black Mountain series

"Kathleen Rodgers is a true painter/artist of words. She has the ability to bring her characters alive on the pages of her books. The characters she creates resonate with her readers and they are drawn into a world that captures their imaginations and doesn't let go, not even when they finish the book. Rodgers has also been able to open up this world to civilians helping them to understand, love and respect our men and women in the military, their families and the sacrifices they make daily. Her newest book, Seven Wings to Glory, opens our eyes to man's capacity to hate but it also opens our eyes to man's capacity to love and forgive and the power that love brings."

--Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Writers Magazine

"Kathleen Rodgers is adept at creating graceful characters. In her third novel, Seven Wings to Glory, Johnnie Kitchen and the residents of Portion, Texas, return to exhibit the power of love to transform even those seemingly damaged beyond repair: an injured solider, a mother who abandoned her daughter, even a young boy poisoned by racism. Rodgers depicts her characters fully and empathetically, inspiring her readers to have the same grace exhibited by the Kitchen family and friends."

--Terri Barnes, author of Spouse Calls: Messages From a Military Life, a collection of her columns for Stars and Stripes

"Kathleen Rodgers saved the best for last in Seven Wings to Glory, her third book and the second of her Johnniebird novels. Deftly wrapping her story around characters we first came to know in Johnnie Come Lately, Rodgers' fiction is both sensuous and gritty, and her references to people and topics currently in the news make this story riveting, with seven wings adding a touch of mystery."

--Drema Hall Berkheimer, author of Running on Red Dog Road: And Other Perils of an Appalachian Childhood

"There's enough warmth, heart string tugging and heartbreak in Rodgers' blend of an imminently lovable protagonist, a postcard pretty small town, and a cast of quirky townsfolk to give fans of the Kitchen family hope for more adventures to come."

--Melissa Embry's Blog

"This book is terrific [....] Rodgers' stories are imaginative and engaging. No wonder I think she's one of the best. I love the way she takes you step by step though Johnnie's life, whether it is about her family or her writing. I loved this book so much I was sorry I finished it in one day. Rodgers shows what a family goes though when one of them is off to war. My heart goes out to these families. With what is going on now in our country, Kathleen connects on all of this. Great book! Read Johnnie Come Lately first, then this one. You will love them both."

--Sharon Salituro for Fresh Fiction

5 Stars: "Seven Wings to Glory captures the mind, heart and soul of its heroine. Kathleen M. Rodgers' gift of storytelling is extraordinary. She pens true emotions, and although her works are fictional, they portray genuine realities. Her words and writing style pluck at your heartstrings[....] The theme throughout the story is faith. No matter what happens, or how bad life seems--never surrender your hope. Do whatever it takes to survive and then move on. With each word, the story becomes more earnest and heartfelt. Seven Wings to Glory is a novel that you don't want to end."

--Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite Reviews

"This book is terrific [....] Rodgers' stories are imaginative and engaging. No wonder I think she's one of the best. I love the way she takes you step by step though Johnnie's life, whether it is about her family or her writing. I loved this book so much I was sorry I finished it in one day. Rodgers shows what a family goes though when one of them is off to war. My heart goes out to these families. With what is going on now in our country, Kathleen connects on all of this. Great book! Read Johnnie Come Lately first, then this one. You will love them both."

--Sharon Salituro for Fresh Fiction

"Seven Wings to Glory captures the mind, heart and soul of its heroine. Kathleen M. Rodgers' gift of storytelling is extraordinary."

--Readers' Favorite Reviews

"A well-crafted book that allows readers to experience actions right along with the characters."

--InD'tale Magazine

"I adore the flawed, imperfect, deeply loving, and tough-as-nails Kitchen family: I would read a hundred books about them, and I will read anything Kathleen M. Rodgers writes."

--Andria Williams, author of The Longest Night and founder of Military Spouse Book Review

"Kathleen M. Rodgers has the gift of making you care deeply about her characters. I had a hard time putting this book down until I reached the end!"

--Deborah Kalb, author of George Washington and the Magic Hat and Haunting Legacy, co-authored with Marvin Kalb

"Kathleen Rodgers skillfully shows how no town is small enough and no family perfect enough to be outside the reach of war, racism, and the heartbreak life hands out on a regular basis to all those who love."

--Elizabeth Marro, author of Casualties

"Rodgers depicts her characters fully and empathetically, inspiring her readers to have the same grace exhibited by the Kitchen family and friends."

--Terri Barnes, author of Spouse Calls: Messages From a Military Life, a collection of her columns for Stars & Stripes

"Rodgers' fiction is both