Sundown Town Duty Station
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Author's Summary
In March 1968, Navy Lieutenant Jon Zachery has just received orders to report to his new duty station in Meridian, Mississippi, for basic jet pilot training. But after he and his wife, Teresa, arrive in what they are initially told is a friendly little town, they soon learn what it means to live in a sundown town.
When Jon and Teresa attend Mass on their first Sunday in Meridian and enter a pew occupied by a young colored woman “sitting-in” the all-white church, the Zacherys unwittingly step into the middle of a KKK campaign created to discourage civil rights sympathizers. As Jon works his way through six months of flight training with an antagonistic flight instructor, the Klansmen escalate their focus on the Zacherys, soon transforming their threats into violent acts. Near the end of Jon’s tour of duty, tensions escalate further, culminating in a confrontation with deadly consequences.
In this compelling story, a young lieutenant’s faith, patriotism, morality, and love for his family is tested as he bravely battles the evil that lurks within the shadows of Meridian, Mississippi.
MWSA Review
When I first saw the title of this book I had no idea of what this book could possibly be about. As I read this completely enthralling work of historical fiction the title came into complete focus and the light went off in my head. Mr. Zerr weaves a completely suspenseful thriller which utilizes the correct historical perspective of the 60s in the South.
The author uses his veteran’s background as a naval pilot. He served three tours in Vietnam and made good use of this in describing the actions of the book’s hero Jon Zachery. Mr. Zachery was serving in the south while completing naval flight school. Zerr tells us of how life was in the military in the southern towns during the Vietnam War. He uses 1968 as the backdrop of his story. The year 1968 is considered the highpoint of the Vietnam era, in which the political, social and protesting of this era signifies total meaning of what America was experiencing during these times.
The story the author brings to us shows to us quick wit, comedy, suspense and an appreciation of the history of these times. The story is a quick and easy read. The Chapters are short and they place us into many scenes which are separate though which in the end will converge into a solution of the suspense created by Mr. Zerr.
This book is well thought out, well-constructed and historically correct. It makes the reader think about the life and times of what America was going through over forty years ago.
Reviewed by: Dick Geschke (2013)