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Sunshine Series #1
Camp Sunshine
For her ninth novel, Ruth Francisco brings us a WWII saga, based on the true story of Camp Gordon Johnston, an amphibious training camp on Florida's desolate Gulf coast. It is a tale of young men on the brink of war and a country on the brink of civil rights, a tale of soldiers and officers, daughters and mothers, death and redemption, and a man unyielding in his integrity, compassion, and struggle for justice. Here, in this harsh but mystically beautiful land, twenty thousand young recruits test themselves to the limit in love and combat; politicos and tycoons offer aid with one eye to profit; women patrol the coast on horseback, looking for German subs; a postmaster's daughter, the only child on base, inspires thousands with her radio broadcasts; and a determined woman bravely holds together her family and the emotional soul of the camp. But when Commanding Officer Major Occam Goodwin discovers a murdered black family deep in the forest, he must dance delicately around military politics, and a race war that threatens the entire war effort. Amid tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the soldiers and their country hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to find his destiny.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2013
About the author
Ruth Francisco
20 books27 followersI tend to write novels that are a little controversial. I don't intend to, but a question grabs hold of my mind--Do we have a right to say no to medical technology? What would it be like to be Jackie Kennedy? Where is Islamic extremism taking us?--and it won't let go. I have to explore it, I have to write about it.
Since my interests are varied, my books are varied, perhaps too much so. But whatever the theme, I always explore identity, trying to reconcile the physical and spiritual worlds. My characters respond sensually to the world as I do, they question and doubt. It would be easier to be a different kind of writer maybe. I hope you get something out of my little efforts.
Since my interests are varied, my books are varied, perhaps too much so. But whatever the theme, I always explore identity, trying to reconcile the physical and spiritual worlds. My characters respond sensually to the world as I do, they question and doubt. It would be easier to be a different kind of writer maybe. I hope you get something out of my little efforts.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 14, 2013
I've read and raved about other books by this author so when this one came in for a review, I was excited to check it out. I wasn't disappointed, exactly, but I wish it hadn't been so over written. Let me see if I can explain a bit, but first... the good.
I was transported completely back to this era. This author is truly gifted in bringing you into a time and place and making it feel familiar. She doesn't hold punches with characters and doesn't mind showing their true colors - the good and the bad. You can feel her research bleeding off of the pages and it makes for a great historical fiction writer.
The problem is that there's just too much of this in this book. It felt too much like a history lesson in places and less like a fiction book. I definitely need to know about the place and period of time, but there's a thin line that I think she just crossed over a few times.
This is NOT to say this a bad book -- VERY far from it. I absolutely loved most of this book and I found myself up until late at night to find out what was going to happen with the story, the characters and the place. It made me laugh and it broke my heart.
Well recommended for historical fiction readers or WWII buffs.
I was transported completely back to this era. This author is truly gifted in bringing you into a time and place and making it feel familiar. She doesn't hold punches with characters and doesn't mind showing their true colors - the good and the bad. You can feel her research bleeding off of the pages and it makes for a great historical fiction writer.
The problem is that there's just too much of this in this book. It felt too much like a history lesson in places and less like a fiction book. I definitely need to know about the place and period of time, but there's a thin line that I think she just crossed over a few times.
This is NOT to say this a bad book -- VERY far from it. I absolutely loved most of this book and I found myself up until late at night to find out what was going to happen with the story, the characters and the place. It made me laugh and it broke my heart.
Well recommended for historical fiction readers or WWII buffs.
September 13, 2019
Wow - I've never read a book like this one!
The characters were very real & made you feel like you were there. You'll read the good with the bad, making the story more real. I would love to see this become a movie someday!
The characters were very real & made you feel like you were there. You'll read the good with the bad, making the story more real. I would love to see this become a movie someday!
May 22, 2020
Moves a little slowly
This is not a book that I couldn't put down. In fact , I put it down several times for a few weeks at a time. I finished it mostly out of obligation.
This is not a book that I couldn't put down. In fact , I put it down several times for a few weeks at a time. I finished it mostly out of obligation.
May 26, 2013
Camp Sunshine by Ruth Francisco
Camp Sunshine begins with a submarine attacking an oil transport vessel in the Florida Keys during WWII.
The powers that be have decided that no camps exist that are adequate for much needed amphibious training. The site selected is near the submarine attack site. General Dahl assigned Col. Walter Southers to run the site. Officially, it is named Camp Gordon Johnston; unofficially, Southers and his Post Executive Officer Occam Goodwin have dubbed it Camp Sunshine.
As Goodwin and Southers wait for their jeep to be hauled from the mud during a preliminary site visit to the camp, two soldiers run from the woods asking their superior officers to view what has been found. A family of squatters was murdered at a small shack hidden in the forest: a man, woman, and infant. In addition to each person being shot, the site had also been bombed, as if to obliterate the entire place from existence.
As Goodwin attempts to investigate, a flare is shot, signaling more practice bombing is to begin. Since the family wasn’t a white family, Southers and Georgia Senator Peppers insist upon a complete cover-up, against Goodwin’s objections.
Once the camp is finished, Vivian, the postmaster’s daughter, moves 50 miles from her primary home in Capital City, to the newly created Camp Sunshine. In the city, she had a nice two story house; here, she lives in a shack on the beach so her father can run the post office. Fifty miles seemed such a short trip, but it was such a tremendously long journey for her entire family.
Camp Sunshine is an achingly beautiful portrait of a time held suspended by war in the 1940s. In an era when so much was changing in our own country, our men (some just children) were training and dying for the war. Others gave up their homes, their pots and pans, and so much more for the war.
Camp Sunshine is a look at a time many have either forgotten or have never known. It is poetically written by an author with a grace and style with words that is found only rarely.
This book has stayed with me for weeks. It has awakened a need in me to ask questions that should have been asked a decade ago. Ruth Francisco has the ability to awaken the urge within the reader to reconnect with others. This is a rare and wonderful gift and this book is a true work of art.
Camp Sunshine begins with a submarine attacking an oil transport vessel in the Florida Keys during WWII.
The powers that be have decided that no camps exist that are adequate for much needed amphibious training. The site selected is near the submarine attack site. General Dahl assigned Col. Walter Southers to run the site. Officially, it is named Camp Gordon Johnston; unofficially, Southers and his Post Executive Officer Occam Goodwin have dubbed it Camp Sunshine.
As Goodwin and Southers wait for their jeep to be hauled from the mud during a preliminary site visit to the camp, two soldiers run from the woods asking their superior officers to view what has been found. A family of squatters was murdered at a small shack hidden in the forest: a man, woman, and infant. In addition to each person being shot, the site had also been bombed, as if to obliterate the entire place from existence.
As Goodwin attempts to investigate, a flare is shot, signaling more practice bombing is to begin. Since the family wasn’t a white family, Southers and Georgia Senator Peppers insist upon a complete cover-up, against Goodwin’s objections.
Once the camp is finished, Vivian, the postmaster’s daughter, moves 50 miles from her primary home in Capital City, to the newly created Camp Sunshine. In the city, she had a nice two story house; here, she lives in a shack on the beach so her father can run the post office. Fifty miles seemed such a short trip, but it was such a tremendously long journey for her entire family.
Camp Sunshine is an achingly beautiful portrait of a time held suspended by war in the 1940s. In an era when so much was changing in our own country, our men (some just children) were training and dying for the war. Others gave up their homes, their pots and pans, and so much more for the war.
Camp Sunshine is a look at a time many have either forgotten or have never known. It is poetically written by an author with a grace and style with words that is found only rarely.
This book has stayed with me for weeks. It has awakened a need in me to ask questions that should have been asked a decade ago. Ruth Francisco has the ability to awaken the urge within the reader to reconnect with others. This is a rare and wonderful gift and this book is a true work of art.
April 6, 2015
During WWII, an amphibious landing site is established off Florida's Gulf.
Post Executive Officer is Maj. Goodwin a crusty vet who received a battlefield commission during WWII. Goodwin understands how to get things done and how to deal with military officials and dignitaries. Goodwin seems like the kind of exec officer that a soldier would enjoy having. He was well described.
The reader is there at the birth of the military camp. M/Sgt. Bullock is in charge as the soldiers depart their trains and are transformed from raw recruits into soldiers who will participate in the battles that will win the war. We experience their lives prior to arriving at the military camp and learn some of their dreams. In this, I was reminded to Leon Uris's excellent novel, "Battle Cry," as Marines go through training and prepare for action in the South Pacific.
Since the base is in the south and it has a number of Negro soldiers, we see some of the Klan activities and how rural citizens dealt with Northern Negroes who were in the military and the difficulties in integrating the U.S. Army.
Historical figures also make their appearances, from Carol Lombard to Gen. Omar Bradley and Glenn Miller whose music allows many of the soldiers to put the thoughts of battle aside and enjoy the charm of the music and local girls who they met at various CSOs.
There was good character development and charming characters mixed in with a story that entertained.
Post Executive Officer is Maj. Goodwin a crusty vet who received a battlefield commission during WWII. Goodwin understands how to get things done and how to deal with military officials and dignitaries. Goodwin seems like the kind of exec officer that a soldier would enjoy having. He was well described.
The reader is there at the birth of the military camp. M/Sgt. Bullock is in charge as the soldiers depart their trains and are transformed from raw recruits into soldiers who will participate in the battles that will win the war. We experience their lives prior to arriving at the military camp and learn some of their dreams. In this, I was reminded to Leon Uris's excellent novel, "Battle Cry," as Marines go through training and prepare for action in the South Pacific.
Since the base is in the south and it has a number of Negro soldiers, we see some of the Klan activities and how rural citizens dealt with Northern Negroes who were in the military and the difficulties in integrating the U.S. Army.
Historical figures also make their appearances, from Carol Lombard to Gen. Omar Bradley and Glenn Miller whose music allows many of the soldiers to put the thoughts of battle aside and enjoy the charm of the music and local girls who they met at various CSOs.
There was good character development and charming characters mixed in with a story that entertained.
March 17, 2016
I greatly enjoy books that have multi-characters in which they become the driving force of story telling. This novel is so rich with dialogue that one cannot help but hear these distinctive voices in one’s head. It nearly echoes, in fact. And by dividing the chapters into first persons helps build the connection between the characters while each survives the torrid environment that is cynically known as Camp Sunshine. Aside from being entertained, there are real historical elements rooted in the book that not only gives the story authenticity, but also gives the reader, “Huh, I didn’t know that,” reflection. Although it is a fairly quick read, there is strength in the book that raises questions to morality and humanity. Camp Sunshine is a well written, brilliantly connected tale of tragedy, humor, history, and an on-going endeavor of what it means to be human. This is the stuff of fine fiction.
January 3, 2015
Enjoyed it tremendously. The book tells the story of an Army training camp in the Florida panhandle during WWII. The story is told in several points of view, all well separated by chapters. The most intriguing is that of Vivian. A preteen when the book starts who moves to a small cottage on the campground when her father becomes Postmaster. Although there are several subplots going on through others points of view, it is Vivian who ties the novel together. Francisco did a fine job of showing us the world through the eyes of a young and impressionable woman and then showing us the consequences of growing up in that world. I cannot speak to the accuracy of the history - I do recognize the names of several of the characters, but if the are accurately used, I couldn't say. At bottom, the history almost does not matter. What does matter is that this is a good strong read and a well written book.
November 8, 2016
When I was done w/the book, I turned it over and read it again. Set in WWII, an Army camp is set up to train soldiers for amphibious combat. The book chronicles the experiences of several characters: a 12 y/o girl, daughter of the camp postmaster; the CO of the camp; and one of the soldiers and his buddies. I bonded the most w/the young girl--she has a most adventurous war! Surrounded by several thousand GIs, her harrassed parents, a Sgt who rescues her more than once, she is smart, precocious and fun. Highly recommend this book!
May 17, 2013
Strong, vivid characters, interesting social context, extensive WWII information that's smoothly folded into plot and an intriguing mystery...this story kept me curious and gratified on many levels. I highly recommend it.
April 6, 2015
Wonderful, well-written book. I would give it 4-1/2 stars if I could. This book is about a WWII military training camp in Florida the year prior to D-Day. I got attached to to characters. I would like to read more books by this author.
June 14, 2013
An excellent read about a youngster's life as the "Camp Rat" in a WWII training camp.
Great read - recommended!
Great read - recommended!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews