Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Iron Annie and a Long Journey by Lisa M. Hutchison is the story of a couple who fell in love and how the war had an impact on their lives and the lives of their children for years to come. Albert took his time to find a job that he was passionate about. He always wanted to be free and unrestrained, so when he got the opportunity to join the military and become a pilot, he took it with both hands. He was happy with his life because he was flying and exploring new places, but when he met Charlotte, he knew that he had found his anchor. They loved each other with a passion and they began putting down their roots so they could spend the rest of their lives together. Married and with children, they had the best life they could hope for. However, when World War II erupted, it hit this German family hard. Suddenly, Albert was gone for weeks at times and the children and Charlotte were left floundering to find their anchor again. With the war raging and its after-effects shaking the world, what is this family going to do?

It is heartbreaking to know that not many people talk about how the war affected German families and civilians. Living through war is never easy, especially when you are trying to live with the decisions of someone else. Reading this novel was very hard; it was emotional, touching and very sad at times. I loved how the author opened her heart and shared her family’s hard times with us so that we could experience what happened to families living in Germany. A daughter will always love her father and Lisa's feelings for her father shines through every word she wrote about him. She writes with love and it showed. I felt her presence in the story, felt her emotions as I read until the end, and I can tell how much it would have hurt her to write it. But I’m glad she did because her father’s story and the journey her parents took should be remembered by the world. They were victims of the war too, but Albert chose to rise above it and become a hero!