Invisible Hero: Two Boys and an Exciting Tale of Honor and Valor by R.A. SheatsMy rating: 0 of 5 stars
MWSA Review
One world war and two heroes—one of whom is “invisible”—are the main ingredients of this incredibly moving and worthwhile story.
To find out who is invisible and why, you’ll have to read R. A. Sheats’s Invisible Hero. One thing is sure: the reader will be very glad they got to know childhood friends Ernest “Boots” Thomas and Jim Sledge. Invisible Hero begins with a poignant description of the upbringing and early lives of these two members of the “greatest generation.”
After covering the young boys’ early days in the small town of Monticello, Florida, almost everything changes in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor. From this point on, the action centers on Boots’s initial training and his follow-on assignment as a Marine drill instructor at Parris Island, South Carolina. Young Boots immediately takes charge and impresses both his immediate superiors and the men he’s training and preparing for combat service in the now-raging battles of the Pacific Theater.
After training several classes of new Marines, the young leader finally gets his wish and is assigned to a combat unit. Boots would get his first taste of battle during the incredibly fierce fighting on Iwo Jima in February of 1945. The author’s descriptions of battle are detailed, riveting, and moving. Although Boots is involved in the iconic raising of the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi, that episode is not the main thrust of the story. Instead, we learn of a young man’s dedication and incredible bravery in the face of a determined and lethal enemy.
Although geared to the young adult audience, all ages will appreciate this story. Only a few technical problems detracted from this memorable portrait of two American heroes.
Review by John Cathcart (February 2019)
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