Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack: A True WWII Teenage Love Story

Ashworth, Laura Lynn

ISBN 10: 099095000X / ISBN 13: 9780990950004

Published by Laura Lynn Ashworth, Chicago, IL, 2014

About this Item

254 pages. Wraps, illus. Signed by the author. While helping an elderly family member with Veterans Administration paperwork, the author came across 170 letters exchanged between two teenagers in love during the final terrifying years of World War II, 1943-1945. Sal, age 19 and nicknamed Slabby for his movie star good looks, deciphers code out the of Navy's radio shack on the USS Signet, a minesweeper in the Pacific. Loretta, age 15, monikered Duchess for her aloofness, lives with aunts and her widowed father, while holding day jobs and enjoying an active social life with friends. Both from the Douglas Parkneighborhood in Chicago, the two adolescents discuss with humor and candor the war, politics, their families, friends, life back home, and their relationship.

Seller Inventory # 56545

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack: A True WWII Teenage Love Story
• Publisher: Laura Lynn Ashworth, Chicago, IL
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 099095000X
• ISBN 13: 9780990950004
• Binding: Wraps
• Edition: Presumed First Edition/First Printing.
• Condition: as new
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Pacific Theater
  • WWII

About this title

Synopsis

Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack contains the authentic and often humorous correspondence between Sal, a young code-breaker on a WWII minesweeper and Loretta, a young stenographer fresh out of business school who serves the war effort by volunteering for the Coast Guard at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Since it was the custom for neighborhood girls to write their enlisted friends, Loretta writes Sal and their friendship quickly develops into a romance although they are physically worlds apart. The letters clearly reflect their separate realities: Loretta’s carefree social and business life vs. Sal’s dangerous minesweeper’s activities on the U.S.S. Signet (AM-302) as it traverses from Pearl Harbor to D-day and the Battle of Okinawa. It all heats up to a suspenseful climax as D-Day and the Battle of Okinawa approaches.

Poignant, tender, funny, and violent, “Letters to Loretta” has been described as a delightful time capsule during the war of all wars. Recipient of the Five Star award from “Reader’s Favorite.” “We have been in the book business for nearly 40 years and I have never experienced a book with the warmth, sensitivity, insight and humanity in a wartime setting as Ashworth has been able to present.” -R. Alan Lewis, President, Ground Zero Books, Ltd.“I gave this book 5 stars but it deserves many, many more. A great addition to anyone who enjoys history especially if you are interested in WWII.” - Coco’s Book Review “Simply put, this is a captivating, nostalgic read…a great love story.” – Lit Amri for Readers’ Favorite “Poignant, tender, funny, violent - a delightful time capsule during the war of all wars.” – Archaeolibrarian “A historical look at life aboard a minesweeper in the Pacific. Highly recommended.” - Jack Magnus, Readers’ Favorite“An amazing job transporting the reader back to this era with language, scenes and interactions between the characters. I felt like I was living and breathing this story from all perspectives!” - Our Family Adventure“I highly recommend it to anyone interested in WWII or to teenagers who are studying WWII in their social studies classes. Excellent resource and very well-presented.” - Ruth, My Devotional Thoughts“A moving and powerful read.” - View from the Birdhouse

About the Author

Laura Lynn Ashworth, author of historical, romance novels that focus on teens and young adults, consistently delivers tales of outrageous romance and redemption to passionate readers of reality and romance. Her first book, "Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack," has received rave reviews from critics and readers alike for its historical depiction of love, sex and life on a Pacific minesweeper during the final days of WWII. Ashworth is a Fortune 100 technology communications consultant and lives and writes in the Chicago area. Her next book, "Epilogue: Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack (the fate of Sal and Loretta)" will be out in summer 2017.