The Foreign Service Journal, November 2008

Chasing the Wind Helena P. Schrader, iUniverse, 2007, $30.95, paperback, 634 pages. This Battle of Britain novel weaves together the stories of an Auxiliary Air Force fighter squad- ron, a career RAF pilot from Train- ing Command, a Luftwaffe fighter pilot and a member of the Luftwaffe’s women’s auxil- iary. The stress of battle reveals the strengths and weak- ness of the participants as their fates become entwined. The book is action-packed from beginning to end. Its gripping story is based on exhaustive research, mak- ing it possible to convey what World War II was like not only for the men and women serving in the military, but for the ordinary citizens on both sides who struggled to go on with their lives. Chasing the Wind was awarded first prize in the global category of the 2007 Reader Views Literary Awards, established to honor writers who are self-pub- lished or have published their books with a university press, independent book publisher, or small press that serves North American readers. For Helena P. Schrader’s biographical information, see p. 24. Spartan Slave, Spartan Queen: A Tale of Four Women in Sparta Helena P. Schrader, iUniverse, 2007, $18.95, paperback, 318 pages. Set in ancient Sparta during the Second Messenian War, this is the story of two women, one beautiful and the other ugly, who are both captured and enslaved in the same raid. It is the story of how they react to their new situation and about the role of nature and beauty in human relations. This work is part of the author’s series of historical novels set in ancient Sparta, and it builds on characters introduced in its predecessor, Are They Singing in Sparta? Though each novel is distinct and complete in itself, they complement each other well. While one focuses more on war and politics and the other leans toward romance, they both immerse the reader in the N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 35