Truly Are the Free

Jeffrey Walker, 1980-1981 (Junior Year Abroad)

2018 B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree 2018 Discovered Diamond 2017 Wishing Shelf Book Awards Finalist South Boston-native Ned Tobin has all the luck. Alive after the Somme, he meets, beds and falls in love with the alluring Adèle Chéreaux.

Their love affair is suddenly upended in 1917 when Ned is called home and Adèle flees the last German advance of the First World War. Young Harlem lawyer Chester Dawkins dutifully joins a new regiment anxious to fight for their chance at valor in the face of deep-rooted racism. Meanwhile, his sister, Lena, is left at home to shoulder a crippling legacy of family debt. Ned finds himself back in France with Chester's regiment.

Can these soldiers from very different backgrounds overcome long-held prejudices and find common cause in the bloody trenches? Will Ned ever find Adèle again? And what will become of Lena? Journey through avant-garde Paris, Prohibition-era Harlem and newly independent Ireland in this heart-wrenching yet hopeful story of love and loss.

ISBN: 978-1947108011