Kirjahaku

Until There Was Usby Pamela H BenderWhen a newborn loses her mother the same day she is given the gift of life, she finds herself shuffled amongst different family members for years on end. Coming of age in the Roaring Twenties and the Depression thirties, she struggles to find connection, adventure, and true happiness while becoming involved in a dark world of speakeasies and deadly bosses. The story of a strong, resilient woman ahead of her time, Pamela Bender's first installment of the Dennison family trilogy is a surprising, heartfelt, and absorbing saga that depicts a young woman's tumultuous journey into adulthood to stunning effect.Mimi Dennison loses her mother the day she is born. Her father unable to care for her or her two year-old sister, she becomes a vagabond ward of the extended family. Separated from her sister and passed from family to family, Mimi develops her own unique blend of survival skills, personality quirks, and thirst for adventure. Once reunited with her sister in Boston, the two search for whatever excitement the world has to offer as they enter the confusing and exhilarating world of young adulthood.Working as a switchboard operator, Mimi segues into the competitive world of 1930's fashion where her sense of adventure and naivete prove to be a dangerous combination. Quickly drawn into a deadly world of Depression-era speakeasies and gangsters, she makes all the wrong decisions and gets in deeper than she ever imagined possible. When she decides to leave that world behind, however, she finds it isn't that easy and it will take the friendship-and love-from a surprising source to help her find the happiness she has been searching for her whole life.Capturing the nuances and emotional landscape of her heroine with extraordinary depth and sincerity, Bender's debut weaves together the dark and light of life as it explores a time and place unique in the collective American psyche. Uninhibited romanticism at its finest, Until There Was Us reminds us all that life is what you make it.

A dramatic family saga continues, as Ron and Mimi Dennison welcome the arrival of their second daughter, Anna, along with a stream of returning GIs moving in to join their fledgling Long Island neighborhood at the close of World War II. Here, on former farmland in a stone and brick house on the corner, Anna and her sister, Shirley, will enjoy an idyllic postwar childhood, surrounded by their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. However, perhaps these pleasant early years will prove to have made Anna too trusting for what life holds in store for her.Rising Up is a heartbreaking yet beautiful story about surviving abuse. The second book of the Dennison saga, this compelling novel is a vibrant celebration of the ability of women to survive and flourish in spite of monumental challenges. As the story advances to Anna's adult life, she finds herself married to a man, Bruce, whose abuse threatens her very survival. With Bruce raging ever more as their children grow older, Anna takes their daughters and son and finds refuge with her parents. After seeking both spiritual and legal counsel, Anna files for divorce, even though it means giving up the comfortable lifestyle she has come to know.As Anna's new beginning starts to take shape, her life takes on unexpected dimensions. Anna and her mother grow closer in the days that follow Ron's succumbing to a tragic battle with cancer, but little can prepare her for the shock and pain that is about to echo through all three generations in the wake of startling revelations and long-hidden secrets becoming a shared, undeniable reality. Rich in drama, exacting with detailed information, and ultimately triumphant, Rising Up draws together the stories of each generation as they overlap, demonstrating the empowerment associated with refusing to let endured experiences define one's own being. Rising Up gives voice to a powerful anthem that rails against violence and victimization as it embraces the process of freeing oneself from abuse.

Worlds Apartby Pamela H. BenderThe Dennison saga continues with Anna and her mother, Mimi, settling into a quieter life. Anna has sworn off dating until she runs into an old friend. Jeb Derben, a retired elementary principal, is newly widowed and shares Anna's friends, contacts and core values. Taking one last leap of faith, Anna marries Jeb and starts a new chapter in her life.Jeb was raised very differently from Anna, Montana versus Long Island, NY. He calls silverware tools; three shirts, pants, and one suit a wardrobe; it's fine--all the compliment a person needs. He knows herding cattle, crops, tractors, livestock, hunting, and butchering. He likes the simple life with no frills. Jeb's a straight talker who learned life lessons while growing up in a house attached to the family bar and dance hall. He tells Anna stories of what made some men fools, others heroes; some brave, others cowards; some leaders, others followers. Anna's the youngest of two girls; Jeb's the oldest of four boys. They were wild, fearless, athletic, and town leaders with snakes, magpies, owls, dogs, horses, kangaroo rats, and cats for pets. Jeb uses humor, common sense, clear talk, and honest appraisal to empower those around him; Anna uses the written word. Jeb takes Anna out West. With the beauty of nature surrounding her, she understands life is best lived uncluttered by extra baggage or the past. Observing western dynamics, she learns plain-spoken folks are true to their word. Join Anna as Jeb teaches her what true love really is. We find that Pamela H. Bender's readers often find it difficult to leave the Dennison family. Consider reading Book One, Until There Was Us, and Book Two, Rising Up. The prequel to the series, The Beat Goes On, is currently being written at the request of her readers.

THE SHEPHERD'S HOOK Live Passionately Book Two in Bender's new series takes her readers into the world of a multitalented mother, shepherd, and fiberista. Bess, a young widow, is determined to focus only on six-year-old Sadie. Relocating to Pennsylvania, Bess teaches spinning at a yarn shop. Just when they are settling into their new life, fate and three circling vultures instantly change everything. Join Bess and Sadie as they meet James, a retired Army Captain, who is keeping his promise to his surviving soldiers and their fallen brothers. James, an artist at heart, finds himself on a farm surrounded by hundreds of animals he knows little about. Bess and Sadie meet the decorated veterans and their families on their first trip to the farm. Sadie bonds with Millie, a kitten, Rascal, a baby donkey, Dipsy, a goat, and Judy, a daughter of one veteran. Bess bonds with the two hundred sheep that are about to give birth. Bender gently weaves the lives of wounded souls together to make a captivating tale of love, healing, devotion, commitment, and servitude. The Shepherd's Hook honors our shepherds, fiber artists, returning soldiers, and those who cling to their farms as a way to make sense of a world gone wild.

Book Three in Bender's new series drops her readers into the criminal activity that has permeated the heroine's hometown during her eight-year enlistment in the Army.The five DiAngelo brothers had been so overprotective of Aurora that shortly after high school she'd enlisted in the Army to break free.When Aurora returns home to take over her father's stained-glass studio, she becomes the linchpin for change in her city. Trained to defend, she reacts automatically and takes on two armed men. When the press film her Pop clutching his yapping Chihuahua, while running through the active crime scene to find his daughter, the weary community takes notice. Blake, a childhood friend of the family attempts to discourage Aurora, but they both get sucked into the seedy underbelly of crime.Just like the stained glass the heroine and her family love, Bender casts different light on the real problems of drugs and crime in our communities. Her experience working in cities reveals the methods used to entrap youth into the drug trade, silence witnesses, and deliver goods. Aurora's plan to counteract this activity may well provide a blueprint for hope in our own communities.

The Dennison saga begins in a previous generation of strong women when Varena, daughter of a German immigrant family, learns life and death lessons at a tender age.Ripped from the comfort and stability of her Little Germany neighborhood, reticent Varena must find ways to make friends with strangers who don't speak her language. The charming coping methods she develops help her throughout life - including the orchestration of her own courtship When Protestant Varena marries a Catholic, it's anyone's guess how her tight-knit German family will react. Will the birth of their child, Ron Dennison, bring about peace and unity, or will religion divide them further?Join Ron and his father, Harold, in their petticoat-governed household as this beautiful family tale unfolds.