On We March: A memoir of growing up in The Salvation Army (Paperback)

by Bette Dowdell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Salvation Army is like no other church on the planet, so unique, in fact, that few people realize it's a church. No other church covers their amazing breadth of action; no other organization performs without regard to public acclaim or reward; and no other church makes such a huge, no-strings-attached effort for non-members A Salvationist's faith is, above all, practical. It's Christianity with skin and shoes on. This not a Kum Ba Yah kind of crowd. Bette Dowdell grew up in The Salvation Army, her mother and father both officers, as the Army calls their clergy. Her loving, laugh-out-loud memoir describes how her family conquered obstacle after obstacle, and it introduces a cast of characters you'll want to meet. Dowdell writes: "I did not grow up in a vanilla family. Vanilla is comfortable, fairly predictable and somewhat bland. That doesn't describe us. Some people believe the opposite of vanilla has to be dysfunctional, where anger, rage and lack of connection rule the roost. That doesn't describe us, either. We had love to spare, with parents who gave us dreams to dream and a big leg-up on the future. Our lack of vanilla predictability came from growing up in The Salvation Army, with constant moving, difficult circumstances and almost no money. But, here's the key: None of us realized we had it hard; we each thought we were living a life of privilege. At the hub of all this optimism was Daddy, a once-in-a-lifetime man, ably assisted by Mother, always ready to take whatever hill appeared on the horizon. This is their story. To give you an idea, people who knew Daddy routinely refer to him as either Sir Charles or Saint Charles. That's the kind of effect he had. To know him was to understand the meaning of awe. Brilliant, good looking, a gifted speaker, gifted musician, gifted athlete-heck, gifted pretty much everything-and yet with a firmly grounded ego that focused on others. And Mother wasn't exactly chopped liver. Together they raised five children once described by a sister-in-law as "intimidating as" (I'm paraphrasing here) all get out." On We March: A memoir of growing up in The Salvation Army has the love and morality of Little House on the Prairie, but isn't vanilla. And it has the energy of The Three Stooges, but isn't wacky. Its stories will make you laugh a lot and maybe cry a little.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Confident Faith Institute LLC (October 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971772851
• ISBN-13: 978-0971772854
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,060,903 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ding-a-Ling, Ding-a-Ling, Ding-a-Ling . . . the Story of Those Wonderful Bell Ringers, December 20, 2008

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

I have always loved the Salvation Army for the wonderful contributions their soldiers make for the Lord. A special part of Christmas for me is listening for the bells ringing to encourage people to donate to the kettles and heading over to put some money in. After reading On We March, I've added a new pleasure . . . asking the bell ringers about how they came to work for the Salvation Army and their experiences. It has been a great blessing.

For those who don't share my love of Salvation Army bell ringers, I encourage you to read On We March which portrays a child's perspective on what it is like to grow up in the Salvation Army. Ms. Bette Dowdell brings great verve and humor to her story telling. The Dowdells are not people who are easily discouraged.

I was fascinated to learn that the Salvation Army families often go without salaries so that poor people can be served. This is certainly in the best sense of following the Lord's direction to "follow Me" and not worrying about how one's own needs will be served. I also thought that no one moved around more often than members of the U.S. Armed Services. The Salvation Army families seem to move three times for every move that the Armed Services make. It's a hard but rewarding life that brings the family closer to the Lord in some very unexpected ways.

I have rarely read a memoir that expressed more love for a father than Ms. Dowdell's depiction of her father, who seems to have been as close as people on earth ever get to acting like angels.

Ms. Dowdell hopes you will want to give more money to the Salvation Army after reading this book (although she isn't currently part of that fine organization). Well, she succeeded with me. I doubled my contributions this year.

May God bless the Salvation Army and the wonderful families like the Dowdells who serve in it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Kind of Army Life, October 9, 2008

By	Richard R. Blake (Bridgman, Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"On We March" is Bette Dowdell's memoir of growing up in the Salvation Army. Her parents Charles and Josephine Dowdell were both Salvation Army officers who sacrificially dedicated their lives to serving others. This book is a beautiful tribute to their lives.

Charles and Josephine met at a Salvation Army Music Camp. A commitment to God and to ministry drew this young couple to each other. They were married in the Brooklyn Salvation Army Chapel and after a brief honeymoon at Niagara Falls they received a temporary assignment in Pittsburg.

Frequent changes and new assignments led to relocation and the uprooting of their home life. Over the next few years the dedicated young couple was blessed with five children: Joe, Charles, Flo, Bette, and Tyrone. These young parents shared their love and taught their children to dream dreams, and allowed them to become their own persons.

With a gift for seeing the humorous side of an otherwise difficult situation Bette details highlights from each of these early moves and assignments with unique stories of miracles, optimism, and humor.

Over the years I have been exposed to various ministries of the Salvation Army. I was intrigued by this look behind the scenes. Although I was disappointed with an organizational structure which allowed unnecessary hardships to be placed on the Dowdells, I was deeply moved by their ability to look beyond the injustice to pursue God's calling on their lives. This is a tender look at two heroic people serving God, making the most of their circumstances while they teach their children, by example, how to live a full, active, meaningful life. Bette's book has whetted my appetite to look into the work of our local Salvation Army Corp to explore ways I might be of service in their ministry. My personal response confirms the attitude the Dowdells maintained throughout their long life of service.

I found myself enjoying a smile, and a chuckle which grew into side splitting laughter as I read of Bette's antics in the midst of family drama centered on the ministry of her parents, and her siblings. Bette's self deprecating humor makes this a book that can be enjoyed by anyone willing to look honestly within to see the humor lurking there.

4.0 out of 5 stars Onward Christian Soldiers . . ., February 25, 2009

By	Fairlee E. Winfield "Author of BUFFALOed 2009... (Scottsdale, Arizona) - See all my reviews

I couldn't wait to read Bette Dowdell's memoir. I too grew up in the Salvation Army. And yes, it's all there. Frequent moves, strange places to live, low salary (when there is any), the heavy connection with the British, but the good times too. It is indeed the Army, our very own Salvation Army and we love it despite all.

The only thing I missed was hearing a bit more about the participation of the children in so many actual services, but I think Dowdell's era was more recent than mine though she doesn't give dates. I wanted to hear about the kids musical instruments and playing on street corners. Yes, even in the Army politics can't be avoided.