While Mortals Sleep by Jack Cavanaugh

While Mortals Sleep by Jack Cavanaugh - 378 pages

This is the first book in Cavanaugh's Songs in the Night trilogy set amisdt World War II Germany.  It opens at Christmas 1939 when Josef Sshumacher, a pastor, holds a party for the youth of his church.  It is part of his plan to remind the youth that they need to place God before Hitler.  In the weeks that follow, he drives the same point home at the pulpit.  this begins to worry his pregnant wife, Mady, as she fears he will become a Nazi target, thus placing their growing family at risk.  But within months, he is actively working with the local resistance network.  The latter half of the book follows a mission he undertakes that soon goes wrong when he is recognized by his father-in-law.

In all, it was a fast-paced read that served as a reminder of what frequently occurred within the Nazi state:  Nazi fanaticals pitted against those who didn't share their ideals, a police state, total indoctrination of youth, totalitarian government, and educated adults who attempted to thwart the system.


In keeping with this month's challenge, approximately 1/3 of the book is set in the home library/study of two of the characters.