Description: New. No dust jacket. 146 p. Nebraska native Ron Hiller becomes a pilot during World War II, is shot down over Nazi Germany and escapes a POW camp. He is rescued by a German woman and her daughters. The Flyer follows the life of Ron and his war bride from their narrow escape from Germany prior to the building of the Berlin Wall to their present day lives in the United States.
"The Flyer features Ron Hiller as the standard all-American farm boy growing up in the wheat fields with his parents and brother. He was not destined to always be so ordinary. Ron’s path would take him across the world, through the skies, to a war prison, and back home again.
Thomas Gordon, the author, takes us through the realistic tale of a farmer turned World War II POW pilot, turned husband and father, turned charter flight operator and twenty-five years of worldwide change. His inclusion of another form of prisoner of war, those who were not allowed to come home nor had no life to go back to was an interesting twist of irony. Hill’s character, marrying a German girl who needed a way out to find a home proved to be the perfect contrast to the pilot who needed to escape to get back home. Together the two people who in their circumstances should have been enemies found a way to make a life together. I enjoyed reading about World War II from someone not harboring decades old resentment but an objective view of their role in history.
I am also pleased to see that Gordon’s tale is not a preachy moral one, telling me who to like or hate or who the good guys and bad guys are. He tells the events of the story in a very straightforward way. However, there were parts that as the reader I would have liked to be drawn into more instead being narrated to, for example in the romance between Ron and Heidi or the pain Heidi felt from being separated from her family.
Overall, The Flyer is a book that told a fascinating story of one man’s flight through his life. Flying led him to war, to love, to a happy home, and to well-deserved reunions. Flying changed Ron’s life and maybe The Flyer will change a reader’s life too."
"This is a fictionalized adaptation of the author's personal experience as a World War II bomber pilot. The plot is straight forward, following the main character through Army Air Force pilot training, then on to Germany where he flew many bombing missions He is shot down, captured and imprisoned in a POW camp for a year. He escapes, eventually seeking refuge with a German farm family; falls in love with the eldest daughter, marries her and returns to America.. The technical aspects of pilot training seem other-worldly as the author's training took place in the infancy of flight and fighter pilot training. The book offers a fascinating glimpse of America at war at a time when patriotism was at its height. The story is captivating and entertaining. It is a must read for flying fans and World War II buffs."
"Based on personal combat experience, The Flyer by Thomas Gordon is a well told story with sound technical knowledge of the aviation field apparent on every page of this compact tale. The fictional novel is well-paced and a relatively fast read for anyone with a fascination for World War II. The story is told through the eyes of a farm boy named Ron Hiller who leaves the wheat field for combat in the skies over Europe. From there, Ron is shot down, becomes a POW in a German prisoner of war camp, and then escapes just before the end of the war. Hiller finds refuge and his future wife on a German farm before returning to the United States to successfully farm his family’s acres. The book takes the reader through the early years of the young Hiller family and then into the twilight of a successful career. The Flyer is a quality read from beginning to finish. For anyone with an interest in the exploits of the ‘Greatest Generation,’ this is the book for a quiet, cool evening in front of a roaring fireplace."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
