Unfit to Serve Celebrate Lit Tour {book review and giveaway:}

About the Book

Book: Unfit to Serve

Author: Sandra Bretting

Genre: Inspirational Historical

Release date: August 16, 2024

When the United States military adopts a newfangled test from France called the “intelligence quotient test” during the first world war, no one expects the turmoil that follows. Thousands of immigrants fail it and are forced to return to homelands devastated by war, disease, and famine.

For Josephine Pembrooke, the shy schoolmarm at Camp Travis in Texas, the problem quickly becomes apparent. How can soldiers pass a test they can’t even read? So, Jo labors in secret to create a better test. Knowing all along it can’t save the one soldier she’d hoped to help.

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About the Author

Sandra Bretting is the author of a bestselling cozy mystery series that ran for five years with Kensington Publishing, as well as three standalone mysteries and an inspirational memoir. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, she began her career writing for the Los Angeles Times, Orange Coast Magazine, and others. From 2006 until 2016, she wrote feature stories for the award-winning business section of the Houston Chronicle.

The second book in her mystery series earned the rank of Amazon Bestseller. Since making the switch to historical fiction, Bretting has garnered accolades for her first title, Unfit to Serve, which released in August 2024. The novel explores how the U.S. military brought the IQ test to America at the start of World War 1.

My Thoughts

Unfit to Serve is an intriguing story. Sometimes I got frustrated with Albigence, with the way he treated Josephine...but I also realize that's the way it was back then. But the "mustached stranger" made me downright angry! LOL

I enjoy stories about school teachers (since I am a TK), as well as stories set during World War 1. They aren't as plentiful as stories set during WWll. This is the first book I have read by Sandra Bretting, and I certainly look forward to reading more from her.

If you enjoy historical fiction, with a dose of faith and a touch of romance, you will certainly want to add Unfit to Serve to your TBR list.

I received a complimentary copy through Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.

More from Sandra

Most people don’t know this, but the IQ test we’ve all heard about came to America during World War 1. French schoolteachers originally created it for their students more than a hundred years ago. Then the U.S. military found out about it, and the top brass thought they could use it to test recruits for their battle-readiness. There was only one problem: thousands of men failed it because they’d immigrated from overseas and couldn’t read the questions. They were loyal to the U.S., smart as whips, and physically capable, but they couldn’t pass a test they couldn’t read. In real life, it took the military a whole year to see the problem and come up with a better version for foreign recruits.

A whole year!

I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to those men who failed it, and how it affected their families. The recruits had come from countries devastated by famine, disease, and war, and they couldn’t go back. From there, the story evolved. I brought in a brave schoolteacher who sees the problem and struggles to fix it. Of course, being the early 1900s, women are supposed to be seen and not heard (like children) so she’s stonewalled at every turn. But she doesn’t stop. Josephine (Jo) knows that God cares about justice too, and she looks to Him for help when everything falls apart.

On a different level, I loved exploring the relationship between Jo and her stiff-lipped husband, Albigence. I purposefully moved this urban couple from a sophisticated university setting to a hot, dusty military base in San Antonio. There, they’re forced to rely on each other for the first time and fight for their marriage. It’s an unconventional love story, but a love story nonetheless.

In all my books, I strive to show how people can change for the better—or worse—depending on the situation, and that the best path forward is to trust God and His timing. He’s always perfect, even when we’re not. Thank goodness we can rely on Him!