Customer Reviews

Love, Honor, and Cherish: The True World War II Story of a Screaming Eagle and a Courageous Woman

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4 star:		(1)
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This book is a great R-E-A-D, one that will transport you back to an era in America's history through the romantic letters of two Americans who fell madly in love and married during the turbulent times of World War II. This book is an exciting, non-fictional account of a Southern working class woman who was swept off her feet by a dashing paratrooper from New York. Against his mother's wishes, Nicky Bonilla pursued and won the hand of the lovely Alabama girl named Opal Keith.

The story of their never-ending love plays out through their own words, lovingly written in touching letters - letters that spanned great distances, over oceans and continents during the chaotic time of war which conspired against their perfect love and the brief times they shared together. The letters, while historical, are expressions of undying love, written by young lovers who possessed a love greater than even their eloquent expressions and endearments could depict. Those letters, saved by Opal and passed on to her daughter, were the nexus of this wonderful new book. Sandra Bonilla Thompson has done a great thing in allowing the reader to share in her parents' unique and all-consuming love through their charming and tender love letters.

Nicky was the love of Opal's life. He was the father of Opal's only child. Until her dying day, she never loved another. The reader is able to experience the time, the flavor, the desperation, the sentimentality, and the bravery of the heroic soldier as he articulately bears his soul, in words penned during the tumult of the dramatic World War II - terms of endearment to the lovely red-haired woman who impatiently waited for his return. Through these precious words from two young lovers, the reader experiences not only the history of the age but also the thoughts of the people who lived in that desperate time of American struggle and heroism.

This book most definitely held my attention - so much so, that I stopped only to wipe my eyes, as I wept for these dear Americans, Opal and Nicky Bonilla. I read the entire book in one sitting; I simply could not put this book down. Love as great as theirs truly is rare in any age; in their age, a great love was often overlooked for the history of the era. After all, it was war where violence is remembered and personal circumstance is often forgotten or overshadowed. The battles and the trials after the war's end were not the end of the story for those who lived and loved during this point in time.

This account of World War II suddenly becomes a very personal time when seen through the eyes of this passionate couple. Their words of adoration make the emotion of the time real to us. History becomes personal to the reader as it once was to the writers of the letters. Woven into the rich tapestry of the love letters are the historical facts supplied by Sandra, the daughter of Nicky and Opal and the author of this wonderful new book. Pictures and other relevant items, saved and preserved with the letters, are also supplied for the reader to glimpse the people and the conditions of that age.

This book is unique and definitely worth reading. Do yourself a favor. Buy this one and read it all in one sitting. It is a book you will remember. Never again will you think of World War II as just a historical set of facts or a list of famous battles. It will be hard for you to ever forget that real people fought and sacrificed for the freedoms we all enjoy today.

What a generation that was! Thank God for Opal and Nicky Bonilla and all of those like them who had the personal integrity and bravery so needed during that age. Thank God for their daughter who cared enough to do the research and who desired to share the personal story of her parents' endearing love. A lifetime of education, research, and personal conviction precedes this grand expose, written with taste, talent, and unswerving historical accuracy and with unerring loyalty as she honors the memory of her parents and of all like them who truly were a generation of great Americans. Thanks to Sandra Bonilla Thompson for writing the best book I have read in years and years. You can't go wrong here, Readers. Enjoy.

K. Stokes - 7/24/04

This is the best WWII story I've ever read that documents how war affects a family. I have read and seen stories about the sacrifices that soldiers made in WWII, but never really understood the sacrifices that the soldier's family members made until I read this story. Thompson uses letters her mother and father wrote from 1942-1944 to tell a tender and dramatic story. It will hold your attention until the last words in the epilogue.

The book is well researched, as can be seen by the notes, bibliography and carefully placed photographs. I learned more about WWII in this story than I did in high school. The author thoughtfully introduced historical events, like the operation of the Red Ball Express, which motivated me to read more.

Love Honor and Cherish is a treasured family story. I hope you and your children will read it and remember ALL of those who risked everything in the fight for freedom.

I found this book to be well written by Sandra B Thompson. It is composed of letters written to and from her mother and father during part of WWII.
This is a story I can relate to since I was also a WWII orphan.

I read this book as part of a book group and loved it. I found it very interesting to see what life was like for so many of our family members in the time. My parents went throught that time and the war and I came away with a greater understanding of everything. I found the book very easy to read and hard to put down.

I so enjoyed reading this book. It brought me closer to my mom and what her generation of women went through in their young adult lives. It mirrored many of her stories as she also married a service man in the same space in life. Though my mom is gone now, it made her feel close to me again as I traveled down her path with someone else telling the stories of romance, fear, uncertainty and depravation. It gives me such a renewed respect for those women and men.

This book is a genuine, certified, brilliant GEM! Tom Brokaw
titled his wonderful and sentimental World War II book "The Greatest Generation". After reading Sharon Bonilla Thompson's
World War II memorial to her mother and father, Opal and Nicky
Bonilla, you will come to the glorious realization of whom these
two excellent authors are referring to. Opal and Nicky met and married, as thousands of WWII couples did, within weeks of meeting.Life for young couples in wartime America and world wide during the early forties was lived in "fast forward" mode. They didn't have the luxury of time to get to know one another over a year or two. Life and death were magnified daily. Death notice
telegrams were received hourly by hundreds of families. Opal
and Nicky express their love and devotion along with the anxiety
and frustrations of the time so eloquently in their love letters
it's impossible to keep from getting a little teary-eyed. This
is a very emotional read yet so eye-opening. It is very well
written and historically researched. It would appeal to readers
of WWII history as well as the readers of fictional love stories
with knights in shining armor. Opal sure was lucky to have such
a wonderful knight of her own to love, honor and cherish.

Whether you are a War veteran or a spouse, child, grandchild of a Veteran from any war in any country...you will relate to the sweet love that Opal & Nicholas Bonilla shared in letters written during WWII. Whether you are a romantic or a historian, a teacher or a student, you will connect with Opal & Nicholas and the Era of War that they endured.
Sandra Bonilla Thompson infuses historical facts subtly so the reader has a new way to understand what happened during WWII and some of the battle times. I loved this book because it has given me a new insight into what my grandparents and parents both experienced as young loves during Wartime (WWII and Vietnam), as well as a better understanding of how war affects generations. The angst and pain, partnered with nobility and honor, that is poignant in Mrs. Thompson's book makes this account one I would highly recommend for people of all ages because it gives you a snapshot of WWII and wartime with the intimacy that most history accounts lack.
I, for one, don't remember many of my history lessons from school days and if I had been able to read a book like Love, Honor, & Cherish, I think I would have been able to make more sense of all the historical events before my time.