Lost Pulse [Paperback]

Bill Shumaker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2004

It's 1939 in Germany. Hitler's Third Reich is vigorously pursuing its quest for racial, cultural, and social purity. Selective human breeding through the Lebensborn program and systematic euthanasia are to eliminate all traces of ethnic impurity and physical weakness. Genetic research is underway to perfect the near-perfect Aryan strain at the expense of the imperfect. Except for a few brave martyrs, even the German church has given consent to Hitler's dream of a "Thousand Year Reich." Of what value, then, is one life - the life of Anna - a small, sick child? Lost Pulse is the thrilling story of an unlikely rescue attempt by three unlikely people. The exercise of God's power through human weakness, against one of the greatest forces for evil that our world has known will inspire and excite readers. Even though the story is fictional, the historically accurate setting opens a window into the darkness of the Nazi era. And perhaps this story of the re-quickening of the "lost pulse" of compassion will awaken us in the 21st century to check our own "vital signs."

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Deo volente Publishing (December 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975344609
• ISBN-13: 978-0975344606
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,628,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling! I couldn't put this book down!, August 26, 2005

By 

Kim Taulbee (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lost Pulse (Paperback)

I've always wondered how the citizenry of Nazi Germany could justify the atrocities of their government. Bill Shumaker has done a masterful job of putting us inside the psyche of several fascinating characters. The story is compelling, suspenseful and full of surprises. I hated to finish "Lost Pulse" and would love to know what happens next... I thought about this story for days.

An avid WWII buff, I was particularly intrigued to learn more about the Hitler Youth, the Lebensborn program, the German clergy, the plight of the Gypsies and much more. Mr. Shumaker loaded this book with a lot of well documented (but seldom explored) historical detail, and wove it into the story in a way that didn't slow the story down at all, but rather made it a more interesting read.

I'd like to read more from Bill Shumaker!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great read!!!, February 12, 2005

By 

C. Winfree "carowin" (Richmond Va) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lost Pulse (Paperback)

I found this book to be most enjoyable and interesting to read. I could not put it down. It was full of historical facts but also easy to read (sometime I find that not to be true with historical fiction). I sure hope there will be a sequel so I can find out what happenes to the main characters.
Caroline Winfree

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gypsies, Jews and an Awakening Church, January 21, 2005

By 

Orville B. Jenkins "Research Guy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lost Pulse (Paperback)

This historical fiction set in Germany in 1939 involves us in the early dynamics of Nazi Germany's purge of the Jews and other "undesirables," and the challenge posed to thinking citizens and sincere Christians in that era.

This is the first novel I have read in four or maybe 5 years. I found it engaging as history and culture came alive in this insightful drama. I was glad to see this novel's focus on the plight of the Gypsies, who are generally ignored in history's portrayal of Nazi atrocities.

Gypsies join forces as unknowing partners with a German State Church pastor to save a sick child about to be discarded by the new euthanasia policies of the Third Reich. Pastor Becker faces the reality of what he has become as an agent of the state. He returns to his sense of ethical calling when the immediate fate of a child in his parish forces him out of the safety of his theological meditations into real-life decisions affecting the future of his state and his people.

I was impressed with the richness and consistency of the realistic and believable characters. The internal dialogue of each character seemed to represent realistic thought processes, and pulled us into the vortex of that character's personality and role in the drama.

I learned some historical and cultural details previously unknown to me. I would recommend a movie be made of this story. Reflecting the validity of the drama portrayed, an extensive bibliography is included.